Here’s a biography of Pope Francis, the beloved ‘Lolo Kiko’ to Filipinos.
POPE FRANCIS BIOGRAPHY – Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and here’s his life and legacy.
Pope Francis died at the age of 88 on Monday morning. During his papacy, he has done so much for reform, but also faced so many challenges for his modern stance and approach on various issues.
Before his papacy, he fell severely sick with pneumonia at age 21, and a part of his right lung was partially removed. In 1958, he officially entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus and took his first vow as a Jesuit in 1960.
He studied philosophy at San Miguel Seminary in Buenos Aires and was ordained a priest on December 13, 1969. In 1973, he professed his perpetual vows as a Jesuit.
Francis also served as superior of the Jesuit province of Argentina and Uruguay and theology teacher and rector of Colegio Maximo. He was ordained auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, was coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires, and became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1992, 1997, and 1998, respectively. In 2001, he became a cardinal.
Notable events
- On March 13, 2013, he was elected pope by a conclave of 115 cardinals, making him the first pope from the Americas, the first Jesuit, the 266th pope in the history of the Catholic Church, and the 265th successor of St. Peter.
- On July 6, 2013, he approved the sainthood and sped up the canonization process for Blessed Pope John Paul II and Blessed Pope John XXIII.
- On July 19, 2013, he established a committee of clerics and lay experts to improve the Vatican’s finances and transparency.
- On October 24, 2013, he suspended German Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst of Limburg, who was accused of spending millions of dollars on renovations of his residence.
- On November 26, 2013, he received Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican.
- On December 11, 2013, he was Time magazine’s person of the year.
- On March 27, 2014, he received in audience U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican.
- On April 3, 2014, he received Queen Elizabeth II at the Vatican.
- In January 2015, he canonized St. Joseph Vaz, Sri Lanka’s first saint.
- He made significant strides in inclusivity and social justice.
- In December 2023, he formally approved the blessing of same-sex couples. He was the first church leader to recognize LGBTQIA+ rights and to speak out against Israel’s genocide in Palestine.
- He advocated for the marginalized.
- He met with leaders of governments and other faiths and visited places of conflict and countries that never had a papal visit, like Iraq and Mongolia.
- He had historical meetings with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and visited Muslim-majority nations, which have strengthened the efforts of religious tolerance and unity.
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