Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, was born on December 17, 1936, the eldest of five children of Mario José Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori. He departed this life on April 21, 2025 in Saint Matha House, Vatican City. At the time of his passing, Pope Francis was eighty-eight years of age.

Pope Francis is preceded in passing by his parents; three siblings, Alberto, Oscar, and Martha.

Pope Francis is survived by his one sister, Maria Elena Bergoglio; nephew, Jose Ignacio Bergoglio; and niece, Cristina Bergoglio. He is also survived by many other family members who have remained out of the public eye.

Pope Francis was born in Buenos, the son of Italian immigrants. His father, Mario was an accountant employed by the railways and his mother, Regina Sivori was a committed wife dedicated to raising their five children. He graduated as a chemical technician and then chose the path of the priesthood, entering the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. On March 11, 1958 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus. He completed his studies of the humanities in Chile and returned to Argentina in 1963, to graduate with a degree in philosophy from the Colegio de San José in San Miguel. From 1964 to 1965 he taught literature and psychology at Immaculate Conception College in Santa Fé and in 1966 he taught the same subject at the Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos Aires. From 1967-1970, he studied theology and obtained a degree from the Colegio of San José.

On December 13, 1969, he was ordained a priest by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He continued his training between 1970 and 1971 at the University of Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and on April 22, 1973, made his final profession with the Jesuits. Back in Argentina, he was novice master at Villa Barilari, San Miguel; professor at the Faculty of Theology of San Miguel; consultor to the Province of the Society of Jesus and also Rector of the Colegio Máximo of the Faculty of Philosophy and Theology.

On July 31, 1973, he was appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, an office he held for six years. He then resumed his work in the university sector and from 1980 to 1986 served once again as Rector of the Colegio de San José, as well as parish priest, again in San Miguel. In March 1986, he went to Germany to finish his doctoral thesis; his superiors then sent him to the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires and next to the Jesuit Church in the city of Córdoba as spiritual director and confessor.

It was Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, who wanted him as a close collaborator. So, on May 20, 1992, Pope John Paul II appointed him titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires. On May 27, 1992, he received episcopal ordination from the Cardinal in the cathedral. He chose as his episcopal motto, miserando atque eligendo, and on his coat of arms inserted the ihs, the symbol of the Society of Jesus.

He gave his first interview as a bishop to a parish newsletter, Estrellita de Belém. He was immediately appointed Episcopal Vicar of the Flores district and on December 21, 1993, was also entrusted with the office of Vicar General of the Archdiocese. Thus, it came as no surprise when, on June 3, 1997, he was raised to the dignity of Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Not even nine months had passed when, upon the death of Cardinal Quarracino, he succeeded him on February 28, 1998, as Archbishop, Primate of Argentina and Ordinary for Eastern-rite faithful in Argentina who have no Ordinary of their own rite.

Three years later at the Consistory of February 21, 2001, John Paul ii created him Cardinal, assigning him the title of San Roberto Bellarmino. He asked the faithful not to come to Rome to celebrate his creation as Cardinal but rather to donate to the poor what they would have spent on the journey. As Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University of Argentina, he is the author of the books: Meditaciones para religiosos (1982), Reflexiones sobre la vida apostólica (1992) and Reflexiones de esperanza (1992).

In October 2001, he was appointed General Relator to the 10th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Episcopal Ministry. This task was entrusted to him at the last minute to replace Cardinal Edward Michael Egan, Archbishop of New York, who was obliged to stay in his homeland because of the terrorist attacks on September 11th. At the Synod he placed particular emphasis on “the prophetic mission of the bishop”, his being a “prophet of justice”, his duty to “preach ceaselessly” the social doctrine of the Church and also “to express an authentic judgement in matters of faith and morals”.

All the while Cardinal Bergoglio was becoming ever more popular in Latin America. Despite this, he never relaxed his sober approach or his strict lifestyle, which some have defined as almost “ascetic”. In this spirit of poverty, he declined to be appointed as President of the Argentine Bishops’ Conference in 2002, but three years later he was elected and then, in 2008, reconfirmed for a further three-year mandate. Meanwhile in April 2005, he took part in the Conclave in which Pope Benedict XVI was elected.

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires — a diocese with more than three million inhabitants — he conceived of a missionary project based on communion and evangelization. He had four main goals: open and brotherly communities, an informed laity playing a lead role, evangelization efforts addressed to every inhabitant of the city, and assistance to the poor and the sick. He aimed to reevangelize Buenos Aires, “taking into account those who live there, its structure and its history”. He asked priests and lay people to work together. In September 2009, he launched the solidarity campaign for the bicentenary of the Independence of the country. Two hundred charitable agencies are to be set up by 2016. And on a continental scale, he expected much from the impact of the message of the Aparecida Conference in 2007, to the point of describing it as the “Evangelii Nuntiandi of Latin America”.

Until the beginning of the recent sede vacante, he was a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

He was elected Supreme Pontiff on 13 March 2013.

In his limited spare time, Pope Francis enjoyed a variety of hobbies including soccer (he's a lifelong fan of San Lorenzo), reading and film. Other interests include, listening to music, tango and milonga, admiring Caravaggio and Chagall, listening to Mozart and taking daily naps.

As tradition dictates, the camerlengo, alongside three appointed assistants, will determine the timing for when the late pontiff's body will be brought into St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing.

In a symbolic gesture marking the end of his papacy, the pope's Fisherman's Ring and lead seal will be ceremonially destroyed to prevent any unauthorized use. In accordance with Vatican protocol, no autopsy will be conducted.

The Catholic Church now enters a period of nine days of mourning, during which cardinals will set the date for the funeral and burial, typically held four to six days after death in St. Peter's Square.

However, Pope Francis, known for his focus on humility and simplicity, made clear his final wishes diverge from the norm. Unlike many of his predecessors who were interred in the crypt beneath St. Peter's Basilica, Francis requested to be laid to rest at Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major. His instructions also call for a simple wooden casket, in keeping with his lifelong emphasis on modesty.

The information included in this biography of the late Pope Francis, was obtained from various publications including, but not limited to:

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/biography/documents/papa-francesco-biografia-bergoglio.html