Pope Francis from humble beginnings to world leaders (video timeline)
May 4th, 2025 4:00pm PDT
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Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents in Buenos Aires, the oldest of five children. He attended Catholic primary school, then graduated from Trade High School with a diploma in Chemistry Engineer and continued to work at the Food Institute.
By the time he was 21, he was enduring pneumonia, which threatened his life and caused cysts to his lungs… prompting surgery to remove parts of his lungs. It will affect the rest of his life until his last day.
At the age of 22, he was inspired by studying at the Argentine Seminary and travelled to Chile three years later to study more. At the age of 24, he took steps to formally return to Argentina to become a Jesuit, ordained as a priest in 1969 in 33 and took his final Jesuit vows in 1973.
He reached the rank of the Roman Catholic Cardinal in 2001, and was appointed by Pope John Paul II, becoming increasingly involved in the church’s political offices, maintaining a reputation for social justice issues and simple lifestyles.
When John Paul II died in 2005, Bergoglio was one of the contested cardinals to be chosen as the new Pope, but Conclave elected Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict resigned from the Pope in February 2013 due to health issues. He was the first Pope to voluntarily resign since 1415.
In March 2013, Bergolio was elected Pope on the second day of Conclave and took the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi… primarily for his work with the saints and the poor. He was the first Pope to take the name Francis.
Bergolio was the first pope and the first Jesuit from Latin America. He chose not to live in the Vatican Pope’s residence and instead chose a guesthouse.
He spoke Spanish, Italian, German, English, French, Portuguese and of course Latin.
Francis passed away on Easter on Monday, April 21, 2025 at a Vatican residence. He had been suffering from bronchitis for several weeks, causing pneumonia in both lungs. He suffered from a stroke, which led to coma and cardiac arrest. He was 88 years old.
RIP
