Key dates in the life of Pope Francis
Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, reshaped the Church with compassion, reform, and global outreach Apr 21, 2025
Here are some key dates in the life of Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American pope, who died on April 21, aged 88:
- Dec. 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires to an accountant and a housewife from an Italian emigrant family.
- Sept. 21, 1953: Receives his calling to become a priest. He later described being moved to go to church while heading to a school event, a day that "changed my life."
- 1957: Undergoes an operation to remove part of his lung.
- March 11, 1958: After studying chemical engineering at university, he joins the Jesuit order as a novice.
- Dec. 13, 1969: Ordained as a priest.
- July 31, 1973: Became leader of Argentina's Jesuits, a position he held for six years.
- 1980: Amid tensions in the Jesuit order, returns to work as parish priest and rector at a college in San Miguel, near the capital.
- 1986: Goes to Germany and later, Argentina's second city, Cordoba.
- 1992: Returns to Buenos Aires as auxiliary bishop.
- Feb. 28, 1998: Appointed archbishop of Buenos Aires.
- Feb. 21, 2001: Made cardinal by John Paul II.
- March 13, 2013: Elected 266th pope after his predecessor Benedict XVI resigned. Chooses the name Francis in reference to Francis of Assisi, patron saint of the poor.
- July 8, 2013: Makes first trip outside Rome to the Italian island of Lampedusa, a major gateway to Europe for migrants, where he castigates the "globalization of indifference." Three years later, bring back 12 families from a migrant camp in Lesbos, Greece.
- July 11, 2013: Launches a reform of the Vatican's penal code to fight sexual abuse against minors and corruption within the Church.
- July 29, 2013: Signals a more tolerant church when he says on a flight back from Brazil that "if someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?"
- June 18, 2015: Francis publishes his second encyclical, "Laudato Si'," dedicated to environmentalism. The letter urges action against climate change.
- Feb. 12, 2016: Holds a historic meeting with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill, nearly 1,000 years after the schism between the Eastern Church and Rome.
- May 23, 2016: Historic audience at the Vatican with Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque.
- April 11, 2018: Francis acknowledges "grave errors" in his handling of child sexual abuse cases in Chile and asks for forgiveness.
- Sept. 22, 2018: Francis announces the first-ever agreement between China and the Holy See over bishop appointments.
- March 27, 2020: As much of Europe shuts down due to coronavirus, Francis delivers an "Urbi et Orbi" address alone in a deserted St Peter's Square.
- Oct. 21, 2020: In a documentary, says he is in favour of same-sex civil unions.
- March 6, 2021: During the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, meets the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
- July 4, 2021: Undergoes successful colon surgery, spending 10 days in hospital.
- June 5, 2022: New Apostolic Constitution comes into force, completing a major reform of the governance of the church that he began when he took office.
- Jan. 5, 2023: Presides over the funeral of Benedict XVI in St Peter's Square.
- March 29, 2023: Admitted to hospital for a respiratory infection, stayed three nights.
- June 7, 2023: Admitted to hospital for hernia surgery, staying nine nights.
- Sept. 3, 2024: Embarks on epic, 12-day voyage, the farthest of his papacy, to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore -- at age 87.
- Feb. 14, 2025: Admitted to hospital with bronchitis, which turns into double pneumonia.--ucanews.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Herald Malaysia
7 days ago
- Herald Malaysia
Pope Leo at Pentecost Vigil: God intends all to live as one
Pope Leo leads a Pentecost Vigil prayer service for pilgrims taking part in the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations, and new Communities. Jun 09, 2025 The 'wide-open' embrace of St Peter's Square (@Vatican Media) By Christopher WellsSome 70,000 pilgrims from more than 100 countries took part in the Vigil of Pentecost in Saint Peter's Square Saturday evening, as part of the festivities for the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations, and New Communities. After a 'pre-Vigil' consisting of prayer, song, and witness testimonies, the jubilant crowd of pilgrims was joined by Pope Leo, who led a Liturgy of the Word focused on the unity that is a gift of the Holy Spirit. 'St Peter's Square, with its wide-open and welcoming embrace, magnificently expresses the communion of the Church,' which is experienced in the various groups present, Pope Leo said his homily. Synodality unites us to all The Holy Father went on to highlight the concept of synodality, rooted in the communion of the three Persons of the Trinity and as 'God-with-us'; and pointing to the future. Where the Spirit is, the Pope said, 'there is movement, a journey to be made.' Pope Leo explained that this journey unites us to all of humanity, with the Holy Spirit teaching us to walk in unity, in contrast to the violence and division that marks our world. 'The earth will rest, justice will prevail, the poor will rejoice and peace will return,' he said, once we no longer act as predators, but as pilgrims; no longer each of us for ourselves, but walking alongside one another.' 'God created the world so that we might all live as one,' the Pope continued, explaining that 'Synodality' is the term the Church uses to describe this unity. 'Evangelization is always God's work' Finally, Pope Leo XIV highlighted the work of evangelization, which does not mean trying to take over the world, but refers instead to 'the infinite grace that radiates from lives transformed by the Kingdom of God.' Evangelization, then, can be understood as the way of the Beatitudes, the path chosen by Jesus. To follow that Path, Pope Leo said, 'we have no need of powerful patrons, worldly compromises, or emotional strategies. Evangelization is always God's work.' The Holy Father encouraged members of ecclesial movements to be attached to their particular Churches and their local parish communities. 'Together with the bishops and in cooperation with all the other members of the Body of Christ, all of us will then work together harmoniously as one,' he said; and then, 'the challenges facing humanity will be less frightening, the future will be less dark, and discernment will be less complicated… if together we obey the Holy Spirit.'--Vatican News
Herald Malaysia
06-06-2025
- Herald Malaysia
The living legacy of Laudato Si'
Despite the noisy splattering of news headlines on the surface, Laudato Si' set in motion a powerful undercurrent that is sweeping through the ocean. Or, rather, it dramatically accelerated an undercurrent that was already underway. Jun 06, 2025 Pope Francis plants a tree in the Vatican Gardens October 4, 2019. (Laudato Si'Movement) By Tomás InsuaDespite the noisy splattering of news headlines on the surface, Laudato Si' set in motion a powerful undercurrent that is sweeping through the ocean. Or, rather, it dramatically accelerated an undercurrent that was already underway. • The birth of the global Laudato Si'Movement, with its nearly 20,000 grassroots leaders trained as Laudato Si' animators, and of ecclesial networks regionally. • Countless projects in parishes and local communities to install renewable energy, divest from fossil fuels, and other tangible steps, supported by the Vatican's Laudato Si' Action Platform. • Beautiful artistic interpretations of the encyclical, such as the film 'The Letter: A Message for Our Earth' by an Oscarwinning company. • Academic ventures such as the joint diploma in integral ecology by pontifical universities in Rome or the Laudato Si' Research Institute at Oxford University in England. • The ASSISI Terra Laudato Si' initiative in the Franciscan sanctuaries of Assisi, Italy. The list goes on and on. Moreover, Francis coupled the Laudato Si' release with an equally important sister. Just a few weeks after publishing the encyclical, he instituted the World Day of Prayer for Creation on Sept 1 — also known as Creation Day or the Feast of Creation — in response to an invitation of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Through annual statements marking that special day, Francis continued to motivate the church to bring Laudato Si' to life in collaboration with fellow Christian churches, also as part of the larger Season of Creation celebrations throughout September. Thousands of parishes and local communities celebrate it every year. The most important legacy of Laudato Si' will be the decisive attention it brought to the spiritual and moral roots of these interconnected crises. Given the sheer scale of this mess, it is imperative to address those root causes. The theology and spirituality of Laudato Si' are beginning to permeate the ethos of the Catholic Church. That is the powerful undercurrent in the ocean. Slowly but steadily, creation is gaining more attention in Christian spirituality, theology, liturgy and catechesis, with countless books and initiatives underway. Creation Day on Sept. 1, in particular, stands out for its potential to become a liturgical feast in many Christian churches, grounded in ancient and rich symbolism in the Eastern Church. Tomás Insua, --NCR
Herald Malaysia
05-06-2025
- Herald Malaysia
Record number of adults baptized in Dublin as faith grows among young Irish
Thirty-year-old Mahon McCann was baptized during the Easter Vigil Mass in his parish of Rathfarnham in Dublin this year. Jun 05, 2025 Easter Vigil in Dublin, Ireland. | Credit: Archdiocese of Dublin By Patrick J. Passmore Thirty-year-old Mahon McCann was baptized during the Easter Vigil Mass in his parish of Rathfarnham in Dublin this year. He was one of 70 adults baptized into the Catholic faith that evening in the Dublin Archdiocese, the largest number of adult baptisms recorded there. The recent upturn in the number of people being received into the Catholic faith in Ireland can be partly explained by young adults who are seeking and searching, people who are looking for a home, somewhere they can be accompanied and grow in faith, according to Patricia Carroll, director of the office for mission and ministry in the archdiocese. 'The new Irish are coming from other countries. Then the others are Irish,' Carroll told CNA. 'A lot of parents here decided that they wouldn't bring their children through the sacraments. So that generation is starting to come to the fore, seeking and searching, looking for something.' Carroll highlighted one development she considers integral and essential. 'In our diocese, our youth and pastoral teams have focused a lot on training catechists. That means places are growing where you can come to get your catechesis.' In Dublin in May, 52 laypeople received certificates as catechists. The archdiocese offers a dedicated course in catechetics for those who feel called to the ministry of catechist, including people already doing some parish catechesis and members of parish sacramental teams. Auxiliary Bishop Donal Roche of Dublin speaking at the Presentation of the Diocesan Certificate in Catechesis Our Lady of Victories Church in Ballymun said: 'We are making great progress in the task of opening the hearts and minds of those who have come to the door of the Church to look in, not sure who or what they will encounter inside.' Speaking at the 800th anniversary of the canonization of Laurence O'Toole in France in May, Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell directly referenced the phenomenon of faith resurgence happening in Ireland. 'Beneath the surface in Dublin, another story emerges, albeit faintly,' the archbishop said. 'Small numbers of young adults are discovering their faith and gathering to celebrate it. Dublin had the largest group ever seeking adult baptism during this Jubilee of Hope. Most of these people are young adults who have come to Ireland, and it is among the new Irish that renewal is most evident.' McCann is one example of that. 'I was raised as an atheist, not just with no religion but in opposition to religion,' he said. 'In the sense that there was no God; Christianity was a lie. Catholicism was a lie. It was kind of something we would get past or get over. I never went to Mass and would have gone to a few funerals. I had no real experience with Catholicism or any institutional religion at all.' When McCann was growing up in Dublin, the percentage of people answering 'none' to the question of their religious denomination was in the single digits; now it has ballooned to about 25%. Carroll told CNA that there is a noticeable increase among adults seeking baptism. 'Since Easter, I get two or three calls per week from young persons who want to become Catholic and wonder what they are to do,' she said. 'So what we do is direct them to parishes where there are catechists so that they can accompany them.' 'That is a kind of spin-off of two years now of catechist training,' she continued. 'Diocesan catechism in our RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, now called OCIA in the U.S.] is becoming more alive and more intentional. So I think those are all factors explaining why the numbers have gone up.' Carroll is optimistic for the future. 'I expect the numbers to continue to go up because I think in the city of Dublin itself, there are a lot of what I would call 'seeking and searching' young people, and they're looking for a home, they're looking for somewhere they can be accompanied and grow in faith. So that's a very hopeful kind of story, really, for us, and it counteracts that story of the Church is dying. The Church is not dying. The Church is not going to go back to the way that it was. And that would be regressive anyway. There is a new Church emerging.' Carroll outlined the typical journey these new Catholics take when it comes to joining the Church. 'It's a process of accompaniment,' she said. 'First of all, there's a whole period of inquiry. And that's not about filling in a form; that's about that spiritual search moment. Depending on the person, that can be a long, extended period, or shorter. After that, they are then into the catechumenate. They need to more intentionally be accompanied, to understand the sacramental life, the Church, and the creed. Those were two big things, and once they've done that, they're ready for the Easter Vigil.' There are many positive stories elsewhere. In the Diocese of Dromore, Tyrell Scarborough recently underwent the journey of seeking faith, culminating in his baptism. 'Many of my friends throughout my life have been Catholic, and I've always been curious about Catholicism. Everyone, except for myself, was Catholic, and I was like, I just felt like the odd one out every single time I would go to events.' He told CNA: 'I thought would it hurt for me to also, like, look into delving into this, this religion I've always felt a close association with. So I was like, right, why not at least look and see what this journey would be like, or would it be like for me to become that?' 'I was just recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They call it the lonely disease because it is, like, not working anymore. I needed a sense of community again, and the Church has provided it for me,' he shared. In Dublin, McCann's faith journey continues: 'Obviously, I've never done any of this stuff before, so I'm working off the kind of five stones or five pillars: trying to go to Mass every week, prayer, a bit of fasting, you know, reading Scripture, and also just trying to meet other people who are on a similar journey, getting a sense of community, and then, you know, giving back in any way I can.'--CNA
