Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
5 facts about Pope Francis
5 facts about Pope Francis
Jan 15, 2026 1:39 PM

Five years ago today, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina was elected as the 266th pope of the Catholic Church. Here are five facts you should know about Pope Francis on his fifth anniversary.

1. Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires in 1936. His father, an Italian immigrant, was an accountant and his mother was a homemaker. He had two brothers and two sisters.Chosen at the age of 76, Francis is the ninth oldest pope of those elected after 1295. (Benedict, who was elected at the age of 78, was fifth oldest.) He took the name “Francis” in honor ofSaint Francis of Assisi.

2. Francis is the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from South America. (The only remaining continents that have never had a e from their lands are Australia, Antarctica, and North America.) He wasthe first non-European pope in 1,000 years.

3.He studied and received a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, but later decided to e a Jesuit priest and studied liberal arts at the Catholic seminary in Santiago, Chile.

4. He only hasone lung. His other lung was removed due to infection when he was a teenager.

5. Francis is known for hispersonal simplicity. In Argentina he lived in a simple apartment rather than the archbishop’s palace, cooked his own meals, and gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of taking the bus to work. At the Vatican, Francis rejected the typical papal apartment for the less formal St. Martha’s House, where he lives among fellow priests. He reportedly used to drive around the Vatican grounds in a1984 Renault 4 that had 190,000 miles on the odometer when it was donated by a priest.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Is the Fiscal ‘Cliff’ Just a Bump in the Road?
Over at Think Christian I take a look at the looming fiscal “cliff,” which we are being told from every conceivable quarter represents a significant danger to America’s fragile economic recovery: But apart from the numbers themselves, the framing of the issue by politicians and pundits ought to give us pause. The idea that returning deficit spending to 2008 levels represents a “cliff” is not just political hyperbole. It reveals something deeply broken about not only our political system, but...
Is the Bail System Inherently Unjust?
Prepping for the joint Acton/Liberty Fund sponsored conference that begins tonight: Religion & Liberty: Acton and Tocqueville, part of Acton’s Liberty and Markets program, I came across the following thought-provoking quote from Alexis de Tocqueville: The civil and criminal legislation of the Americans knows only two means of action: prison or bail. The first action in proceedings consists of obtaining bail from the defendant or, if he refuses, of having him incarcerated; afterwards the validity of the evidence or the...
‘The Field Guide to the Hero’s Journey’: Newest Acton Book
Our world desperately needs heroic people—people who shape events, who act rather than watch, who are creative and brave. Such people are needed in every field, in every realm of life—not only in law enforcement and disaster response but also in science, education, business and finance, health care, the arts, journalism, agriculture, and—not least—in the home. Rev. Robert Sirico and Jeff Sandefer, in their about-to-be-released book, have written a “blueprint” to the heroic life. The two joined Acton last week...
Acton Commentary: The LBJ Curse on the Black Vote
Because it is right, because it is wise, and because, for the first time in our history, it is possible to conquer poverty … Lyndon B. Johnson’s Special Message to Congress, March 16, 1964 Anthony menting on the preference black voters showed for President Obama, points out that Lyndon Baines Johnson’s War on Poverty policies “introduced perverse incentives against saving money, starting businesses, getting married, and they discouraged fathers from being physically and emotionally present for their children — resulting...
Bringing Spirituality to ‘One of the Sleaziest Industries in the World’
Over at Christianity Today, HOPE International’s Chris Horst, whose article on a Christian manufacturer was recently highlighted at the PowerBlog, focuses on yetanother Christian business, this time dealing in mattresses: “This is one of the sleaziest industries in the world,” says business owner Ethan Rietema. “Customers are treated so poorly. Stores beat you up, trying to get as much money as they can, but they couldn’t care less if you get the right bed.” Rietema and Steve Van Diest, both...
Why Can’t We Fire Bad Teachers?
Timothy Dalrymple wonders whether education reform should be one of the great objectives for American Christians in the twenty-first century. Taking up that cause will require ing theintransigenceof the teachers’ unions: Try firing an ineffective teacher. Roughly 1 in 50 doctors lose their medical license. Only 1 in 2500 teachers ever lose their teaching credentials. Process that for a moment. It’s much easier to e a teacher than a doctor, yet teachers arefifty times less likelythan doctors to be removed...
Radio Free Acton: New Book from Rev. Sirico and Jeff Sandefer
Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute and Jeff Sandefer, entrepreneur, teacher and educational innovator, have co-authored the new book, “The Field Guide to the Hero’s Journey: inspirational classics and practical advice from a serial entrepreneur and an entrepreneurial priest”. The book is set to be released in early December. Rev. Sirico and Mr. Sandefer sat down to discuss their collaboration. [audio: ...
Registration Now Open for 2013 AU
The Acton Institute is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the2013 Acton University(AU), which will take place onJune 18-21 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Space and scholarship funds are limited – soregister or apply now! Please visituniversity.acton.orgwhere you will find the online registration form along plete conference information. ...
The Contending Realities of Progressive Economics
We need to trim government programs today in order make way for bigger government tomorrow. That seems to be the message former treasury secretary and Obama economic advisor Larry Summers delivered today at the Washington Ideas Forum: “If we want to have the same kind of society we always had…you may see some upward drift in government,” he said. “That’s why you need to work ever harder to eliminate government activities that don’t need to take place.” Summers deserves credit...
Want to Lower Poverty Rates? Increase Entrepreneurship
The Goldwater Institute has released a new study showing that states with a larger share of entrepreneurs do a better job at reducing poverty than states with fewer entrepreneurs. There is a strong connection between a state’s rate of entrepreneurship and declines in poverty. Statistical analysis of all 50 states indicates that states with a larger share of entrepreneurs had bigger declines in poverty. In paring states during the last economic boom—from 2001 to 2007—data show that for every 1...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved