Vatican City (CNN) – The Vatican pushed back Friday against claims that Pope Francis failed to protect two fellow Jesuit priests who were kidnapped during Argentina's military dictatorship.

The accusations have resurfaced since the Argentine cardinal's unexpected election to the papacy two days ago.

A book by investigative reporter Horacio Verbitsky accuses Francis, who was then referred to as Jorge Mario Bergoglio and was head of the country's Jesuit order but not yet a bishop, of deliberately failing to protect two Jesuit priests who were imprisoned by the government.

But the Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, dismissed the claims - which date back to Argentina's so-called Dirty War from 1976 to 1983 - as false and defamatory.

By Jamie Crawford, CNN
Follow @CNNJamie

As Pope Francis assumes his role as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, he is also the newest head of a sovereign state that accepts and accredits foreign envoys while sending its own diplomats around the globe to advance its interests.

There currently are 179 diplomatic missions with ties to the Vatican.

To the casual observer, the post may seem like a dream assignment, full of pomp and circumstance in one of the world's most historic and beautiful cities. But there is more to the job than what meets the eye.

"It's really in a unique position to engage with the world's largest faith-based organization," Miguel Diaz, the most recent U.S. envoy to the Holy See, told CNN. President Barack Obama has yet to nominate a successor to Diaz, who stepped down in November.

(CNN) – From the Vatican to Buenos Aires, Catholics worldwide rejoiced when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio became the new pope.

He's the first Jesuit and the first Latin American in modern times to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

But in some ways, he's just a normal guy.

Here are five things to know about Pope Francis.

Vatican City (CNN) – Pope Francis on Thursday emphasized church advancement in his first Mass with the cardinals who elected him as pontiff a day earlier.

With solemnity, he delivered a homily about moving the Catholic Church forward to the cardinal electors, who were dressed in light yellow robes. Altar servers burned incense in the Sistine Chapel, the setting for the Mass.

He didn't appear to use a script and kept the sermon short, calling on the cardinals to have courage.

"When we don't walk, we are stuck. When we don't build on the rock, what happens? It's what happens to children when they build a sand castle and it all then falls down," the new pontiff said.