Pope Francis

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis initially graduated from secondary school as a chemistry technician. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1958, beginning his studies for the priesthood and obtaining a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel. From 1964 to 1966, he taught literature and psychology at high schools in Santa Fe and Buenos Aires before his ordination as a Jesuit priest on December 13, 1969, during his theological studies. He subsequently served as novice master and taught theology in San Miguel, held the position of Provincial for Argentina from 1973 to 1979, and was rector of the Philosophical and Theological Faculty of San Miguel from 1980 to 1986. After completing his doctoral dissertation in Freiburg, Germany, he returned to Argentina to serve as a confessor and spiritual director in Córdoba. His episcopal career began on May 20, 1992, with his appointment as titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires, receiving episcopal consecration on June 27; he was later appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires on June 3, 1997, succeeding Cardinal Antonio Quarracino on February 28, 1998, and was elevated to cardinal on February 21, 2001. On March 13, 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope, adopting the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi, and served as the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State for 12 years until his death on April 21, 2025. His papacy marked several firsts: he was the first pope from the Americas, the Southern Hemisphere, and the Society of Jesus, as well as the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian Pope Gregory III. During his tenure, Francis implemented significant changes, including appointing women as full members of dicasteries within the Roman Curia and advocating for a more sympathetic approach toward the LGBTQ community, allowing blessings for individuals outside of a liturgical context for same-sex unions. He was a vocal critic of unbridled capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment, making climate change a central focus of his pontificate, and he strongly denounced the death penalty as intrinsically evil, committing the Catholic Church to its abolition. In international diplomacy, he criticized the rise of right-wing populism, called for the decriminalization of homosexuality, played a role in restoring diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, and negotiated an agreement with China regarding the appointment of Chinese bishops. Francis also championed the cause of refugees, describing their protection as a "duty of civilization" and criticizing anti-immigration policies, including those of U.S. President Donald Trump, and in 2022, he issued an apology for the Church's historical role in the "cultural genocide" of Canadian Indigenous peoples. His papacy culminated with the convening of the Synod on Synodality, an event described as highly significant for the Catholic Church. Pope Francis passed away from a cerebral stroke on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 in Vatican City.