Pope Francis, the firstborn of the marriage between Italian immigrants Mario José Francisco Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, became the first American Pope.
- The Pope of immigrant origin and his legacy
- He studied Philosophy and earned a degree in Theology at the Colegio Máximo de San Miguel. He also learned French, Italian, German, English, Latin, and Greek.
- He later resumed his work in the academic field and from 1980 to 1986 was again rector of the Colegio de San José, as well as parish priest in San Miguel.
- The peak of his brilliant religious career came after the resignation of Benedict XVI, and during the conclave on March 13, 2013, Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope.
- First pontiff from Latin America
Elected on March 13, 2013, at the age of 76, the Supreme Pontiff has left a deep mark on the Catholic Church and the world, as many analysts describe, with a commitment to humility, his adherence to the preferential option for the poor, and dialogue with people of different backgrounds and beliefs.
The Pope of immigrant origin and his legacy
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, the son of Italian immigrants: his father, Mario, was an accountant employed by the railroad, while his mother, Regina Sivori, took care of the home and the education of their five children.
Despite his life dedicated to the Church, few know that Pope Francis earned a diploma as a chemical technician but decided to pursue a religious path.
At 17, he decided to follow his priestly vocation. At 22, he entered the diocesan seminary of Villa Devoto, which was run at the time by Jesuit priests. He joined the Society of Jesus and was sent to Chile in 1960 to complete his novitiate. The following year, he returned to continue his humanities studies.
He studied Philosophy and earned a degree in Theology at the Colegio Máximo de San Miguel. He also learned French, Italian, German, English, Latin, and Greek.
The training he received in the Society of Jesus helped him develop a strong sense of order, austerity, humility, and commitment to the community and the poor. He was ordained a priest at the age of 32 on December 13, 1969.
However, his ecclesiastical career did not stop there. He continued his preparation in the Society of Jesus in Spain from 1970 to 1971. Years later, he became a novice master at Villa Barilari in San Miguel, a theology professor, a consultant for the Jesuit province, and also rector of the College.
On July 31, 1973, he was elected provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina for six years.
He later resumed his work in the academic field and from 1980 to 1986 was again rector of the Colegio de San José, as well as parish priest in San Miguel.
In March 1986, he moved to Germany to finalize his doctoral thesis. Later, his superiors sent him to the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires and then to the Church of the Society of Jesus in the city of Córdoba as a spiritual director and confessor.
Given his preparation and ability, Pope John Paul II named him Titular Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires on May 20, 1992, and months later, Coadjutor Archbishop.
On February 28, 1998, following the death of Cardinal Quarracino, he took over the pastoral leadership of the Archdiocese. On February 21, 2001, he became a Cardinal.
Bergoglio had a strong presence in the Argentine Episcopal Conference, which he presided over for two consecutive terms from 2005 to 2011. During the Fifth Conference of the Latin American Episcopate in 2003, he was appointed President of the Drafting Commission for the Final Document held in Aparecida, Brazil. In this role, he stood out for his ability to convey the thinking of the Latin American Church clearly and directly.
The peak of his brilliant religious career came after the resignation of Benedict XVI, and during the conclave on March 13, 2013, Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope.
That day, thick white smoke announced from St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, with the phrase “Habemus Papam!” that a new Pope of the Catholic Church had been elected.
And in response to Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re’s question, “Quo nomine vis vocari?” (“By what name do you wish to be called?”), Jorge Mario Bergoglio answered, “Vocabor Franciscus” (“I will be called Francis”).
First pontiff from Latin America
For many, Pope Francis ranks among the most liberal, global, and politically relevant pontiffs in modern history, though conservative faithful are the most critical of his leadership of the Vatican-based institution.
During his papacy, Francis criticized capitalist greed and climate change. In an indirect reference to then-U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term, he said that those who build walls to block immigrants “are not Christians,” and even brought Syrian Muslim refugees to safety on his papal plane.
According to advocacy groups, Francis stood out for setting a more conciliatory and welcoming tone for LGBTQ Catholics, who had long felt marginalized by the Church.
Francis also made history by becoming the first Pope to meet with the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2016, years before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which he also criticized.
Later, in 2019, Francis signed the document pledging “Human Fraternity,” promoting cooperation between Christians and Muslims, an unprecedented event at the time.
Among his most emblematic moments, on March 27, 2020, Pope Francis led a prayer in an empty St. Peter’s Square to ask for an end to the coronavirus pandemic, the day Italy recorded its highest increase in COVID-19 deaths.
A year later, he made an apostolic visit to Iraq, becoming the first pontiff to travel to the country, where Christians had suffered years of violence and persecution.
Twelve months later, the Catholic leader apologized to Indigenous peoples for the “sins, offenses, and crimes” of European colonial conquest in the Americas. An unprecedented event.
Additionally, in another historic moment, on January 5, 2023, Francis bid farewell to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI by presiding over his funeral in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, a unique chapter in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church, where a reigning Pope said goodbye to a Pope Emeritus.
Finally, before leaving the White House, President Joe Biden awarded Francis the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the highest civilian honor in the United States.
“Pope Francis is unlike any other who came before him. He is the people’s Pope: a beacon of faith, hope, and love shining brightly across the world,” they stated at the time, as a prelude to his legacy.
Image: Opinion
