Born in Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the first Jesuit.
“It seems my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world [to choose a pope],” he told the crowd in St Peter’s Square in his first address, a joke which belied his image as the cardinal who never smiles.
Up until 13 March, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires.
Pundits did not see him as a favourite for the job of succeeding Benedict XIV and his advanced age – at 76, he is just two years younger than Benedict at the time of his election in 2005 – may surprise those expecting a younger man as the 266th pope.
However, he appeals to both Church conservatives and reformers, being seen as orthodox on sexual matters, for instance, but liberal on social justice.
“We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least,” he was quoted as saying by the National Catholic Reporter at a gathering of Latin American bishops in 2007.
“The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to Heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers.”
He was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent.
According to his official Vatican biography, he was ordained as a Jesuit in 1969 and went on to study in Argentina and Germany.
A bishop from 1992, he became Cardinal of Buenos Aires in 1998, and at the 2005 conclave was seen as a contender for the papacy.
His election took many by surprise in his home city, where many had thought his age ruled him out, the BBC’s Marcia Carmo reports from there.
But any surprise soon gave way to the jubilant blaring of car horns on the streets.
As Cardinal Bergoglio, his sermons always had an impact in Argentina and he often stressed social inclusion, indirectly criticising governments that did not pay attention to those on the margins of society, our correspondent says.
Francesca Ambrogetti, who co-authored a biography of him, told Reuters news agency that part of his public appeal lay in his humble lifestyle. Continue reading
Sources
- BBC
- Image: The Guardian
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