Pope Francis I’s name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was born on 17th December, 1936 in Buenos Aires. He is of Italian origin but belongs to Argentina. His election as the 266th Pope has meant Francis I will be the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1300 years.
Francis I is fluent in Spanish, Italian and German. He is believed to be surviving on only one lung, as the second one removed when he was a teenager due to an infection.
One of five children of an immigrant railway worker, Bergoglio has a Masters degree in chemistry. However, he chose the ecclesiastical path and became a priest of the Jesuit order, which was founded in the 16th century to serve the Pope. He became a Cardinal in February, 1998 and since then has been handled several responsibilities in the Roman Curia.
Pope Francis I is a reserved and humble man who leads an austere life. He lives is a small apartment and cooks his own meals though he is entitled to luxurious accommodation and a chef as the Cardinal of Buenos Aires. He also uses public transportation like local buses instead of a chauffeured limousine.
Francis I had a good chance of becoming the Pope in 2005, but due to the close contest with Benedict XVI, he is known to have made an emotional appeal to the Cardinals not to vote in his favour.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been accused of not opposing the dictatorial regime of Argentina and also sheltering political prisoners in his holiday home when a Human Rights Commission delegation came visiting.
The new Pope’s name is also linked with an episode involving kidnapping of two priests. There are allegations that he may have renounced them by way of not accepting links with them in front of the government. However, Bergoglio told his biographer that he had worked quietly through diplomatic channels for the release of the two abducted priests.
Francis has been vocal about his opposition to gay marriages and is against same-sex couples adopting children. He is also known to hold a conservative Catholic position as far as abortion is concerned.
The new Pope has written several books on spirituality and meditation.
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.