Pope Francis was a deeply religious child in Buenos Aires. The first pontiff from Latin America tried to create a more welcoming church.
Pope Francis’ life took him from a modest upbringing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to lead the Roman Catholic Church as the first Jesuit pontiff and the first from Latin America.
Across his 12 years as Pope, Francis consistently elevated the causes of migrants and the disenfranchised, and pushed the church to more forcefully confront its own history of scandal. His efforts to make the church more inclusive were welcomed by his supporters and many Catholics, but some conservatives pushed back as he veered from traditional teachings.
A deeply religious boy
Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires. His parents were immigrants from Italy, and he was the eldest of five siblings. As a boy, he was intelligent, deeply religious and loved to dance the tango.
Religious calling
When he was 16, Jorge was rushing to meet friends but paused at the Basilica of St. Joseph in Buenos Aires, feeling an urge to go inside. In the sanctuary, it felt as if “someone grabbed me from inside,” he said, adding, “Right there I knew I had to be a priest.” He later joined a seminary.
Ordination
After 13 years of study, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was ordained as a priest.
A Jesuit leader
The Reverend Bergoglio became the head of the Jesuits, an order of priests, in Argentina. At the time, the country was in the throes of a “dirty war,” when the ruling military junta tortured, killed or “disappeared” as many as 30,000 people. Bergoglio later faced accusations that he had done little to protect two priests with anti-government views who were kidnapped and tortured by the regime. He has denied the claims, saying he protected priests and others by pressing military officials behind the scenes.
Exile
Bergoglio’s tenure as head of the Jesuits ended in controversy, with critics accusing him of having an autocratic management style. Church authorities sent him into de facto exile in Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Córdoba, Argentina.
A surprise turn to bishop
Bergoglio’s exile was interrupted when he was unexpectedly named an auxiliary bishop of the Buenos Aires diocese. He became archbishop six years later, and focused on outreach to the poor. He was elevated to cardinal in 2001.
The first Latin American Pope
Francis was elected pontiff after Pope Benedict XVI resigned, citing health concerns. Francis tried to move the church away from divisive issues such as abortion and homosexuality, instead focusing on climate change, poverty and migration. His first papal trip was to Lampedusa, an Italian island that had become a beacon for asylum-seekers and migrants.
Addressing sex abuse
Francis established a commission to address the church’s clerical sexual-abuse scandals. It included victims of abuse and sought to hold bishops accountable, but the effort eventually fell apart.
US-Cuba agreement
The United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations for the first time in decades. Francis was credited with helping bridge the divide between President Barack Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba, leading to the historic breakthrough.
A call to action on the environment
Francis released “Laudato Si,” the first papal encyclical focused solely on the environment. It called for protecting the environment and denounced the excesses of global capitalism in exploiting the poor.
Tending the US flock
During a six-day trip to the United States, Francis became the first pope to address Congress.
Spat with Trump
Francis repeatedly sought to stand up to nationalism. During the US presidential election, he suggested that Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, was “not Christian” because of his preference for building walls rather than bridges. Trump responded: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian.”
Trip to Egypt
Francis sought closer relations with other religions, especially in places where Catholics were at risk of persecution. At a conference in Cairo, he denounced “demagogic forms of populism” and violence masquerading as piety.
A deal with China
Francis reached a provisional agreement with the Chinese Government to end a decades-long power struggle over the right to appoint bishops in the country. The deal gave the church greater access to China, but also legitimised seven bishops appointed by Beijing, which critics said set a dangerous precedent.
A push to protect minors
Francis issued the church’s most comprehensive response in decades to the sexual abuse crisis. It obligated church officials worldwide to report cases of sexual abuse, and efforts to cover them up, to their superiors. But it did not require officials to report abuse to the police, an omission that enraged victims.
The Amazon Summit
A meeting of bishops from the Amazon region recommended that Francis allow the ordination of married men as priests in remote areas of South America. He signalled an openness to the idea, but ultimately set aside the proposal.
A pandemic blessing
On Good Friday, from a dark, deserted St Peter’s Square, Francis delivered a blessing and called for solidarity around the world to confront the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Italy was in lockdown amid a deadly wave of the virus.
An apology to Indigenous people
During a visit to Canada, Francis begged for forgiveness from the country’s Indigenous people for the “evil” inflicted upon them by Christians. He also apologised for the church’s role in running residential schools where Indigenous children were abused and many died.
An effort to include women
Francis for the first time held a meeting of world bishops that included women and lay people as voting members. The synod, as the meeting is known, broached some of the most sensitive topics in the church, including the role of women, celibacy and the marital status of priests, but it didn’t change those policies. After the meeting, Francis allowed priests to bless gay couples.
Death and legacy
Francis died on Monday at 7.35am, less than a day after blessing the faithful who had gathered for an Easter Mass in St Peter’s Square. He appeared on a balcony Sunday, looking frail, and after blessing the crowd, he deferred to a Vatican aide to address the crowd on his behalf.
Francis had wrestled with serious health issues in the preceding months, including a severe respiratory infection that had sent him to the hospital for weeks.
He leaves a legacy of inclusion and activism, having often spoken in support of migrants, the marginalised and the environment.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Jonathan Wolfe
Photographs by: Gabriella Demczuk, Daniel Berehulak, Zach Gibson, Nadia Shira Cohen and Ian Williams
©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
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