Pope Francis

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Lore & Background

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on 17 December 1936 in Flores, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, the eldest of five children of Italian immigrant Mario José Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori. At age 21, after life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts, he had part of a lung excised. While on his way to celebrate Spring Day, he passed by a church to go to confession and was inspired by a priest. He entered the Society of Jesus as a novice on 11 March 1958, was ordained a Catholic priest on 13 December 1969 by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano, and served as Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina from July 1973 to 1979. He became archbishop of Buenos Aires on 28 February 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2013 papal conclave elected Bergoglio pope on 13 March. He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Francis of Assisi. He chose to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than the papal apartments, favored simpler vestments, refused the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election, chose silver instead of gold for his piscatory ring, and kept the same iron pectoral cross he had as cardinal. He made women and laymen full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia, permitted non-liturgical blessings of individuals in same-sex relationships in the Latin Church, and convened the Synod on Synodality, described as the culmination of his papacy and the most important event in the Catholic Church since the Second Vatican Council.

Reader's Guide

Pope Francis's significance lies in his reshaping of the papacy's tone and priorities. He emphasized God's mercy, humility, and a less formal approach, breaking with many traditions of his predecessors. He made action on climate change a leading focus of his papacy, criticized trickle-down economics, consumerism, and overdevelopment, and deemed capital punishment inadmissible in all cases, committing the Catholic Church to its worldwide abolition. He called for the decriminalization of homosexuality and the protection of migrants as a 'duty of civilization.' In international diplomacy, he helped restore diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, negotiated a deal with China to define Communist Party influence in appointing Chinese bishops, signed the Vatican's first treaty with Palestine, condemned Israel's military operations in Gaza, and called for investigations of war crimes. In 2022, he apologized for the Church's role in the Canadian Indian residential school system. Following a period of declining health and multiple scares, Francis made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday before dying on 21 April 2025, Easter Monday. The 2025 conclave elected Leo XIV as Francis's successor on 8 May, becoming the second pope from the Americas, after Francis.

Did You Know?

• Pope Francis was the first pope born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.
• He had part of a lung excised at age 21 after life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts.
• He chose the name Francis in honor of Francis of Assisi.
• He refused the traditional papal mozzetta cape upon his election and chose a silver piscatory ring instead of gold.
• He helped restore diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States.