By Orla Leonard
Pope Francis, the first Latin American Pope, was born on the 17th December 1936 in Buenos Aires, and named Jorge Mario Bergoglio. His parents had moved there from Italy with him and his five siblings, and from a young age he was deeply religious.
In 1952 Pope Francis had his first religious calling at the age of 16, when on the way to meet his friends, he felt the urge to go into the Basilica of St Joseph in Buenos Aires. He said that it felt as though someone grabbed him from inside, the same feeling as when he knew he was going to become a priest.
On December 13th 1969, after 13 years of study, Pope Francis was ordained as a Jesuit Priest. Then, on 20th of May 1992 he was appointed Bishop of the Buenos Aires diocese. Six years later, he became archbishop and focused on his goal of helping the poor. He was appointed cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
When Pope Francis became the 266th Pope on 13th March 2013, he chose Francis as his papal name, after Saint Francis of Asissi, the patron saint of the environment, animals and birds. All throughout his life Pope Francis was admired by many for his humility and work to help the poor.
An example of his humble simplicity was when he took the bus instead of using the papal limousine. He worked tirelessly to promote interfaith dialogue, promote world peace, and spread the message that “peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare.”
He has welcomed many people to the Vatican including the late Queen Elizabeth and King Charles III, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Argentinian football star Lionel Messi, as well as shaking hands with Spiderman!
Pope Francis was a figure countless looked up to and admired, he helped so many through tough times such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and would regularly host large lunches for the poor and homeless.
Despite the challenges he faced, Pope Francis served the 1.2 billion Catholics of the world relentlessly for more than a decade, inspiring many by advocating that “a world full of hope and kindness is a more beautiful world”.
Pope Francis’ funeral took place on Saturday 26th April, and an estimated 400,000 people lined the streets of Rome and gathered in St Peter’s square for it. He chose to be buried in Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four major Papal basilicas, and one that is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Pope Francis wrote in his will, “Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
As stated in the homily at his funeral by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Pope Francis wanted to build bridges, not walls, and this is the lasting thought left with us as many were brought together to say a final goodbye.
Rest in Peace Pope Francis.