Pope Francis: Here are 10 facts about the late Catholic pontiff

Pope Francis: Here are 10 facts about the late Catholic pontiff

By Ishaya Ibrahim

Pope Francis (December 17, 1936 – April 21, 2025) born Jorge Mario Bergoglio died on Easter Monday. His death came as a huge shock because it was a day after he gave the traditional Easter greeting at St Peter Basilica to thousands of worshippers.

A vocal champion for the poor,  he died at age 88.

Here are some facts about Pope Francis

1.  Pope Francis was born in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, in Argentina to an Italian immigrant, Mario José Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori. His father, Mario Bergoglio had left Italy to Argentina in 1929 to escape the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini.

2. He was an Argentinian, the first pope from the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit Order), also the first from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere.

3. Pope Francis was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969. From 1973 to 1979, he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

4. He led the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in Argentina; the administrations of Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner considered him to be a political rival.

5. He became Pope Francis on 13 March 2013 after he was consecrated as the sovereign of the Catholic Church following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on 28 February 2013.

6. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi. Throughout his public life, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, concern for the poor and commitment to interreligious dialogue.

7.  As Pope, he chose to  reside in the less fanciful Domus Sanctae Marthae guest house rather than in papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes.

8. Pope Francis made radical changes in the Catholic Church, including making women full members of dicasteries in the Roman Curia.

9. Pope Francis was a staunch critic of capitalism, consumerism, and overdevelopment.

10. As a diplomat, Pope Francis helped to restore full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, negotiated a deal with China to define how much influence the Communist Party has in appointing Chinese bishops, and has supported the cause of refugees. He has called protection of migrants a “duty of civilization” and criticized anti-immigration politics, including those of U.S. President Donald Trump.