Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 1936.The eldest of five children, his parents had fled their native Italy to escape the evils of fascism.He enjoyed tango dancing and became a supporter of his local football club, San Lorenzo.He was lucky to escape with his life after a serious bout of pneumonia, undergoing an operation to remove part of a lung. It would leave him susceptible to infection throughout his life.As an elderly man he also suffered from pain in his right knee, which he described as a “physical humiliation”.The young Bergoglio worked as a nightclub bouncer and floor sweeper, before graduating as a chemist.At a local factory, he worked closely with Esther Ballestrino, who campaigned against Argentina’s military dictatorship. She was tortured, her body never found.He became a Jesuit, studied philosophy and taught literature and psychology. Ordained a decade later, he won swift promotion, becoming provincial superior for Argentina in 1973.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hails Pope Francis’s commitment to the “most vulnerable”.He says in a post on the social media platform X: “I mourn the passing of Pope Francis. His commitment to peace, social justice, and the most vulnerable leaves a profound legacy. Rest in peace.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says “this news saddens us deeply”. “I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship,” she adds in the statement.Meloni adds “he asked the world, once again, for the courage to change direction, to follow a path that ‘does not destroy, but cultivates, repairs, protects'”.”His teaching and his legacy will not be lost. We greet the Holy Father with hearts full of sadness, but we know that he is now in the peace of the Lord.”
Pope Francis’ Easter Sunday message was one of peace and “respect for the views of others”. An aide read on his behalf:Quote MessageThere can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression.”In his final address, the pontiff remembered the people of Gaza, in particular its Christian population, as the conflict “causes death and destruction” and creates a “deplorable humanitarian situation”. He also called growing global antisemitism “worrisome”.
“What a great thirst for death, for killing we see in the many conflicts raging in different parts of the world,” he said.”I express my closeness to the sufferings… for all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people,” the message said.
“Call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.
“The Pope also encouraged all parties involved in the Ukraine war to “pursue efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace”.