Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected the 266th pope of the
Roman Catholic Church in March 2013, becoming Pope Francis. He is the first
pope from the Americas.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, Jorge
Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 13, 2013, when he was named the
266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Bergoglio, the first pope from the
Americas, took his papal title after St. Francis of Assisi of Italy.
Prior to his election as pope, Bergoglio served as
archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 to 2013 (succeeding Antonio Quarracino),
as cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church of Argentina from 2001 to 2013, and as
president of the Bishops' Conference of Argentina from 2005 to 2011.
Pope Francis made his first international visit in July
2013, traveling to Brazil. In December 2013, Pope Francis was also named Person
of the Year by Time magazine. To date, his tenure has been
characterized by humility and outspoken support of the world's poor and
marginalized people, and he has been involved actively in areas of political
diplomacy and environmental advocacy.
Early Life and
Education
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
on December 17, 1936, to Italian immigrants. As a young man, Bergoglio
underwent surgery to remove part of one of his lungs due to serious infection.
He graduated from a technical school as a chemical technician before
beginning training at the Diocesan Seminary of Villa Devoto. In March 1958, he
entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus.
Bergoglio taught literature and psychology at Immaculate
Conception College in Santa Fé in 1964 and 1965, and also taught the same
subjects at the Colegio del Salvatore in Buenos Aires in 1966. He studied
theology and received a degree from the Colegio of San José from 1967 to 1970,
and finished his doctoral thesis in theology in Freiburg, Germany in 1986.
Entering Priesthood
Ordained as a priest in December 1969, Bergoglio began
serving as Jesuit provincial of Argentina in 1973. He has said that initially,
his mother did not support his decision to enter the priesthood, despite the
fact that she was a devout Catholic. By the time he was ordained, however, she
accepted his calling and asked for his blessing at the end of his ordination
ceremony. He later returned to his alma mater, the Colegio of San José, where
he served as rector (1980-86) as well as a professor of theology.
On May 20, 1992, Bergoglio was named titular bishop of Auca
and auxiliary of Buenos Aires; he was ordained into that post a week later. In
February 1998, he became archbishop of Buenos Aires, succeeding Antonio
Quarracino. Three years later, in February 2001, he was elevated to cardinal by Pope John
Paul II, named the cardinal-priest of Saint Robert Bellarmino. In
2005, he was named president of the Bishops' Conference of Argentina, serving
in that position until 2011.
After Pope John Paul II's death in April 2005, Bergoglio
reportedly received the second-most votes in the 2005 papal conclave; Pope Benedict
XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) was chosen as Pope John Paul's successor.S
On March 13, 2013, at the age of 76, Jorge Bergoglio was
named the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church—becoming the first citizen
from the Americas, the first non-European and first Jesuit priest to be named
pope, and adopting the name Pope Francis (he took the title after St. Francis
of Assisi of Italy). Prior to the 2013 papal conclave, Pope Francis had served
as both archbishop and cardinal for more than 12 years.
The tone of his papacy, which has become admired globally,
was established long before his elevation to the church's highest position;
however, when he was named to that post, the media quickly picked up on stories
of his humility. News circulated about the fact that he returned to the
boarding house where he had been staying to pay his bill personally, rather
than send an assistant, and that he would choose to live in a simple two-room
apartment rather than the luxurious papal accommodations in the Vatican's
Apostolic Palace. In choosing to live more simply, Pope Francis broke a
tradition that had been upheld by popes for more than a century.
Addressing a crowd of tens of thousands in St. Peter's
Square, in the Vatican City in Rome, Italy, after his selection by the
conclave, Pope Francis stated, "As you know, the duty of the conclave was
to appoint a bishop of Rome. It seems to me that my brother cardinals have
chosen one who is from faraway. . . . Here I am. I would like to thank you for
your embrace."
After the results of the 2013 papal conclave were announced,
U.S. President Barack Obama issued a statement
about the new pope: "As the first pope from the Americas, his selection
also speaks to the strength and vitality of a region that is increasingly
shaping our world, and alongside millions of Hispanic Americans, those of us in
the United States share the joy of this historic day."
First International
Visit as Pope
Pope Francis made his first international visit on July 22,
2013, when he arrived at the Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There, he was greeted by Brazilian President Dilma
Rousseff in a welcome ceremony and later circulated in downtown Rio in order to
be "close to the people."
While in Rio, Pope Francis was on hand to celebrate World
Youth Day. More than three million people attended the pontiff's closing mass
at the event. On his way back to Rome, Pope Francis surprised reporters traveling
with him regarding his seemingly open stance on gay Catholics.
According
to The New York Times, he told the press: "If someone is gay and he
searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" His remarks
were heralded by several gay and lesbian groups as a welcoming gesture by the
Roman Catholic Church.
While he does not believe women should be ordained as
priests, Francis considers women an essential part of the church. "The
feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions," he said.
He also continued to present a more accepting attitude toward homosexuality
than previous pontiffs, saying that "God in creation has set us free: it is
not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person," according
to The Guardian.
In December 2013, Pope Francis was named Person of the
Year by Time magazine. Pope Francis—having joined the ranks of Pope John
Paul II and Pope John XXIII, the only other popes to be awarded the
title in 1994 and 1963, respectively—was a contender against other prominent
figures of the year, including Edward
Snowden, Senator Ted Cruz, Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad and Edith Windsor. In the article, it was revealed
that the deciding factor that led to Pope Francis landing at the top of the
list, was his ability to alter the minds of so many people who had given up on
the Catholic church in such a short period of time.
The following March, it was announced that Pope Francis had
been nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. He did not receive this honor,
but he continued to devote his time to reaching out to Catholics around the
world. During that summer, Pope Francis went on his first visit to Asia. He
spent five days in South Korea in August.
On his return trip from South Korea, Pope Francis discussed
his own mortality with the press. "Two or three years and then I'll be off
to my Father's house," he said, according to a report in The Guardian.
He also suffered a personal loss around that same time after several members of
his family were killed in a car accident in Argentina.
That fall, Pope Francis showed himself to be progressive on
several scientific issues. He told the members of the Pontifical Academy of
Sciences that he supported the Big Bang theory and evolution. According to The
Independent newspaper, Pope Francis said that "The Big Bang, which
today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the
intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it." He also said
that evolution "is not inconsistent with the notion of creation."
Throughout late 2014 and into 2015, Pope Francis continued
his pattern of deep engagement with both political and environmental conflicts
around the world. He spoke out against global abuses and the misuse of
political and economic power, lamenting the disappearances and suspected
murders of 43 students in Mexico; the dangers and losses of life caused by
immigration; financial mismanagement within the church itself; and sexual
abuse. His decision to crack down on church corruption and excommunicate
members of the Mafia were hailed by Catholics and non-Catholics alike, though
they also caused him to receive death threats.
He tackled other political
blockades too, bringing together Presidents Raul Castro,
of Cuba, and President Barack Obama,
of the United States, in a historic meeting that precipitated significant
foreign policy changes. Finally, his ambitious schedule of travel continued,
with visits to Paraguay, Bolivia, and Ecuador, as have beatifications. To date,
he has beatified more than three dozen people, including Óscar Romero, a priest
from El Salvador who was assassinated in 1980 because of his espousal of
liberation theology and his activism to protect marginalized people.
In September 2015, Pope Francis continued to stir up the
status quo in the Catholic Church when he announced that priests around the
world will be allowed to forgive the “sin of abortion” during a “year of
mercy,” which starts December 8, 2015 and ends November 20, 2016. The Pope
wrote about this act of compassion in a letter, stating: “I think in particular of all the women who
have resorted to abortion. I am well aware of the pressure that has led them to
this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. I have met so
many women who bear in their heart the scar of this agonizing and painful
decision. What has happened is profoundly unjust; yet only understanding the
truth of it can enable one not to lose hope."
He added: "The forgiveness of God cannot be denied to
one who has repented, especially when that person approaches the Sacrament of
Confession with a sincere heart in order to obtain reconciliation with the
Father. For this reason too, I have decided, notwithstanding anything to the
contrary, to concede to all priests for the Jubilee Year the discretion to
absolve of the sin of abortion those who have procured it and who, with
contrite heart, seek forgiveness for it."
SOURCE: Biography.com
