Pope Francis, a global figure, has imparted a unique character to the Catholic Church leadership. Understanding his birth name and country of origin highlights the significance of his ascension to the role of head of Catholics worldwide.
Pope Francis’s birth name
Pope Francis was born on 17 December 1936124 as Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It is the name he was assigned before he became the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He chose the name “Francis” in the honor of St. Francis of Assisi due to his compassionate concern for the poor.
During his initial audience on 16 March 2013, Pope Francis told the media why he had selected the name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. He told them that as it became apparent during the conclave vote that he would be elected as the new bishop of Rome, the Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes hugged him and whispered the words, “Don’t forget the poor,” and this prompted Bergoglio to think of the saint. Bergoglio himself also earlier spoke of his love for St. Francis, and said that: “He brought to Christianity an idea of poverty against the luxury, pride, vanity of the civil and ecclesiastical powers of the time. He changed history”.
The Vatican explained on the day of his election that his papal name was “Francis” and not “Francis I”, i.e., no regnal number is applied to him. The name would be Francis I if and when there is a Francis II, according to a Vatican spokesman. It is the first time since Lando’s 913–914 pontificate that an office-holding pope has a name not borne by a predecessor.
Origins and early life
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was of Italian immigrants; his father, Mario Bergoglio, was an Italian railway accountant and his mother, Regina Maria Sívori, a housewife. He had five siblings and was the oldest.
Bergoglio received a master’s in philosophy and theology from the University of Buenos Aires. He also studied at the seminary at Villa Devoto. Bergoglio joined the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) on March 11, 1958.
Career before becoming Pope
- Jesuit: Pope Francis joined the Society of Jesus in 1958 and was ordained as a priest in 19691. In 1973, he was appointed “provincial” or leader of the Jesuits in Argentina. In the mid-1980s, he started working on a doctoral degree at Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany.
- Bishop: Pope John Paul II appointed Bergoglio as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. Pope John Paul II appointed Bergoglio as a Cardinal during the 2001 Consistory.
- Election as Pope: Cardinal Bergoglio was elected on March 13, 2013. He took the name “Francis” after St. Francis of Assisi. In the aftermath of his election, Francis explained why he had taken his new name, speaking of how Cardinal Cláudio Hummes of Brazil hugged and kissed him after the votes, saying, “Don’t forget the poor!” and how this had led him to think of St. Francis of Assisi, the saint of peace.
Importance of his background
Pope Francis is the first American pope, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first non-European pope since Pope Gregory III in the 8th century. This has introduced a new face to the papacy, with emphasis on Third World issues.
Other interests
On his own personal taste, Pope Francis likes to read books by authors such as Friedrich Hölderlin, Jorge Luis Borges, and Fyodor Dostoevsky. He likes to view Italian neorealism films and also adores opera. He’s even a soccer enthusiast and a very active San Lorenzo de Almagro club member, whose home team plays in the Primera División league. In 2015, he even composed a progressive rock record, Wake Up!.
Pope Francis, previously named Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and is the first pope born in the Americas. Having the name Francis represents his commitment to peace as well as compassion towards the poor. He grew up within a Jesuit order and did service in South America, thereby constructing his papacy and offering an individual perspective to the Catholic Church.
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