On this date in 2013 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina was elected as the new pope, taking the papal name Pope Francis. 10 facts about him:
His birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio and he was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina (though his parents had emigrated there from Italy) on 17 December 1936. He was one of seven children. His father was a railway worker, his mother a housewife.
There were several firsts with his papacy. He was the first pope in centuries to replace another pope who was still alive, as his predecessor resigned. He was the first pope from the Western Hemisphere, the first from South America, the first from the Jesuit order and the first to take the name Francis (in honour of St Francis of Assisi).
Like his namesake, he was committed to helping the poor and living as simply as possible. He refused to wear the ermine-trimmed Red velvet mozzetta, the gold pectoral cross and the pair of red Shoes prepared for his inauguration. He stuck with a simple Silver cross and his own shoes. Then he chose not to live in the Vatican Palace but in an apartment, and would eat in the Vatican canteen. He would often remind his followers not to forget the poor, especially during the covid pandemic. A source in the Vatican once told the press that he’d go out at night dressed as a regular priest to help the poor of Rome in person.
He was first called to the priesthood on St Matthew’s day in 1953. He decided, on the spur of the moment, to attend confession and felt the call while he was there.
He got an education and worked at several jobs before taking up his vocation. He earned a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Buenos Aires and a liberal arts degree in philosophy. His jobs included scrubbing the floors of the company where his father worked, taught in schools and was, for a time, a bouncer at a nightclub.
He lost part of his lung during his youth due to a respiratory infection.
In his youth he was a great fan of Argentine Tango and once said, “Tango comes from deep within me.” He was also a fan of classical music as evidenced by the fact he snuck out during the pandemic to buy records of Bach and Mozart.
His favourite film was La Strada by Federico Fellini, winner of the Oscar for best foreign film in 1957. His favourite food was Bagna Cauda, a dish prepared with anchovies, oil, and Garlic, used as a sauce for vegetables.
He would say a prayer from St. Thomas More every day. The prayer goes: “Lord, give me a sense of humour. Grant me the grace to understand a joke, to discover in life a bit of joy, and be able to share it with others.”
Francis surpassed the record of Pope John Paul II in canonising the most new saints in a pontificate. These included: Mother Teresa, Óscar Romero, Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin (the first married couple to be named as saints together), and three of his predecessors: John XXIII, John Paul II and Paul VI.
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