From bouncer to papacy:The life and times of Pope Francis

On Easter Monday, Pope Francis died at the age of 88. He was elected Pope Francis I at the age of 76 in March 2013, the first from the Americas and the first non-European pope in more than 1,200 years.

Pope Francis was born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Flores, Buenos Aires on December 17, 1936. He was the eldest of five children from Mario José Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori.

His predecessor, Benedict XVI, was the first Pope to retire voluntarily in almost 600 years and for almost a decade the Vatican Gardens hosted two popes.

Many Catholics had assumed the new pontiff would be a younger man – but Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina was already in his seventies when he became Pope in 2013.

His last act as head of the Catholic Church was to appear on Easter Sunday on the balcony of St Peter’s Square, waving at thousands of worshippers after weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.

 

His beginnings

Pope Francis was born to an Italian immigrant father, Jose Mario Francisco Bergoglio, and Regina Maria Sivori. He has four siblings: Alberto Horacio, Oscar Adrian, Marta Regina, and Maria Elena.

His father worked for Argentine Railways, and Pope Francis retained a command of his family’s Portacomaro dialect. He is fluent in Spanish, Italian, and German and knows English, French, Portuguese, Latin and Ancient Greek.

The young Bergoglio worked as a nightclub bouncer and floor sweeper, notes a historic article on the pope by BBC.

Before joining the Society of Jesus in 1958, late Pope Francis trained as a chemist.

In 1960, Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo de San José. He then taught literature and psychology at the Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción, a high school in Santa Fe, from 1964 to 1965. In 1966, he taught the same courses at the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires.

In 1967, Bergoglio began his theological studies at Facultades de Filosofía y Teología de San Miguel.

In December 1969, he was ordained by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He served as the master of novices for the province there and became a professor of theology. He held several academic and administrative positions within the Jesuit order. His academic journey included time in Spain and Germany.

Bergoglio had said that, as a young seminarian, he had a crush on a girl and briefly doubted his religious career.

On May 20, 1992, Pope John Paul II appointed him auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, and in 2001, he was named cardinal. Although he withdrew from the 2005 papal conclave, his influence grew, leading to his election as pope in 2013 despite concerns over his age and health.

Choosing the name “Francis” in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi, he became known for his humility and focus on poverty, social justice, and dialogue among religions.

 

Political interventions

As pope, Francis played a key role in the talks toward restoring full diplomatic relations between the US and Cuba, announced on December 17, 2014. The Pope, along with the Government of Canada, was a behind-the-scenes broker of the agreement, taking the role following President Obama’s request during his visit to the Pope in March 2014. The success of the negotiations was credited to Francis because “as a religious leader with the confidence of both sides, he was able to convince the Obama and Castro administrations that the other side would live up to the deal”.

Following the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Francis visited the Russian embassy in Rome, an unprecedented action. He called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to express “sorrow” as the Vatican worked to find “room for negotiation” to end the war.

In early October 2022, Francis for the first time directly appealed to Putin to halt the “spiral of violence and death” in Ukraine. In the same speech, Francis asked Ukrainian president Zelenskyy to be open about “serious peace proposals” while recognizing that Ukraine had suffered an “aggression” and saying that he was “pained about the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”

Francis condemned Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel. He also criticised Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Gaza war, saying that “terror should not justify terror” and describing Israel’s airstrikes as “cruelty, this is not war.”

He condemned the killing of two Palestinian Christian women by an IDF sniper in Gaza, calling it “terrorism”. Throughout the war, Francis had called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and the establishment of a two-state solution.

 

Dealings with the Muslim world

In February 2019, Francis visited Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on the invitation of Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Francis became the first pope to celebrate Mass on the Arabian Peninsula, attended by more than 120,000 attendees at the Zayed Sports City Stadium.

In March 2021, Francis held a historic meeting with Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and visited Ur, a site traditionally identified as the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. He and the Iraqi cleric urged the Muslim and Christian communities to work together for peaceful coexistence.

In September 2024, Francis visited Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, where he attended inter-religious dialogue in Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta and was welcomed by the Grand Imam, Dr Nasaruddin Umar.

Francis and the Grand Imam additionally signed the Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024, underscoring that the values common to all religious traditions be effectively promoted to “defeat the culture of violence and indifference” and promote reconciliation and peace.

 

The pope and celebrities

Besides the heads of state that made their customary Vatican visits, numerous celebrities came to meet the Pope from the ends of the earth and share a laugh or a handshake with him.

He shadow-boxed with Sylvester Stallone, joking with the star of Rocky that his three daughters reminded him of the three Marys of Biblical times.

He shook hands with Arnold Schwarzenegger of Terminator fame, who thanked the Pope for his advocacy for the care of Creation and the environment.

More recently, a cohort of comedians from around the globe made their appearance at a papal audience, and he reminded them that playful fun and laughter keep spirits up and tensions down.

Yet, it was contact with the average Joes and Janes that really gave the late Pope Francis the energy to guide the Catholic Church for 12 years.

 

Health problems

When he was 21 years old, after life-threatening pneumonia and three cysts, the pope, then known as Bergoglio, had part of a lung excised.

When he was elected at 76 years old, Pope Francis was reported to be healthy; his doctors had said the lung tissue removed in his youth did not significantly affect his health.

In the 2020s, he was prone to bouts of influenza and bronchitis in the winter. Knee problems and sciatica have prompted him to frequently use a wheelchair, walker, or cane.

In 2021, the Pope’s health problems prompted rumours that he might resign, which he dismissed.

In 2022, he became the first Pope for more than a century to bury his predecessor – after Benedict’s death at the age of 95. By then, he had his own health problems – with several hospitalisations.

In March 2023, Francis was hospitalized in Rome with a respiratory infection. He returned to celebrate the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday, in April.

In June, Francis underwent abdominal surgery after suffering from a hernia.

Pope Francis had publicly used a wheelchair since 2022, initially due to persistent knee pain which required an operation.

In February this year, Pope Francis was admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome due to bronchitis.

In March, it was reported that Francis was no longer using mechanical ventilation at night, with his doctors stating that his lung infection was under control, although not eliminated.

He was discharged from hospital March 23, immediately after blessing a crowd from his balcony; he was expected to spend at least two months recuperating at his home in Domus Sanctae Marthae in Vatican City, maintaining a reduced work schedule.

 

Now the pope is dead…

Pope Francis’s death triggers a papal interregnum and a nine-day period of mourning known as the novemdiales (Latin for ‘nine days’). The pope’s funeral, by tradition, takes place within four to six days of the pope’s death; it is expected that he will be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore according to his wishes.

Cardinal-electors will be expected to arrive in Rome to attend the general congregation of cardinals which, in turn, fix the date and time of the upcoming conclave.

The conclave cardinals may elect any baptized Catholic male, but since 1389 they have always elected a fellow cardinal.

Funeral rites for the late pope are held for nine days, as he is mourned and celebrated. Conclaves must begin within 15 to 20 days after a pope dies or resigns.

Upon the pope’s death, the dean of the College of Cardinals calls the cardinal electors to the Vatican. There are currently 138 of them. To join the conclave, cardinals must be under 80 years old.

During the conclave, the cardinals live in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a hotel-like facility next to St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s where Pope Francis opted to live, rather than in the Apostolic Palace’s papal apartments.

The rituals take place according to rules popes have refined over the centuries, clarifying the timeframe and obligations. But the conclave itself must be obscured by “total secrecy,” as Pope John Paul II wrote. Cardinal electors must sign an oath of secrecy and seclusion, under threat of excommunication.

It has been noted that all of the conclaves from the 1900s onwards have lasted under four days.

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