Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
Early Life and a Pivotal Rejection
In his youth, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later known as Pope Francis, experienced a childhood infatuation at the age of 12. His affections were directed towards a girl named Amalia. Despite disapproval from both families regarding their youthful attachment, young Jorge reportedly proposed marriage to Amalia, according to her recollection.
Amalia recounted with amusement, ‘He declared that if I refused his proposal, he would be compelled to become a priest. Fortunately for him, I declined.’
This childhood rejection could be considered a historically significant turning point, as Bergoglio proceeded not only to be ordained into the priesthood but also to ascend to the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church.
A Pontiff from Argentina
Pope Francis, who has died at the age of 88, marked a historic moment as the first non-European individual elected to this prominent position in 13 centuries.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Hailing from Argentina and a member of the Jesuit order, Francis distinguished himself as one of the more liberal, politically engaged, and controversial popes in modern times.
His approachable demeanor, simplicity, and personal magnetism garnered considerable admiration. However, his complex history during Argentina’s dictatorship period may offer insights into his delayed responses to numerous scandals that surfaced during his papacy.
Tenure as Supreme Pontiff: Doctrine, Scandals, and Division
His twelve years as Supreme Pontiff were characterized by profound disagreements over doctrine between progressive and traditional factions within the Church. Simultaneously, numerous instances of clerical sexual abuse and subsequent cover-ups continued to emerge across various nations.
Pope Francis stirred unease among conservative Catholics shortly after his 2013 election by stating to journalists, ‘If an individual is gay and earnestly seeks God and demonstrates goodwill, who am I to pass judgment?’
Further controversy arose three years later when the Pope issued a document suggesting a softening of the Church’s stance on administering Communion to divorced and civilly remarried couples. This proposition led to public dissent from four prominent cardinals, and the issue remains a point of contention among Catholics.
Legacy of the ‘Dirty War’ Era
However, his conduct during the ‘Dirty War,’ a period of state terrorism conducted by the Argentine military junta against domestic opposition between 1976 and 1983, became the most enduring blemish on his record.
Approximately 20,000 individuals who disappeared during this era are still officially listed as ‘missing,’ while human rights organizations estimate the figure to be closer to 30,000.
Bergoglio, then the head of the Argentinian branch of the Society of Jesus, an order recognized as the Church’s intellectual core, opposed ‘liberation theology,’ a Marxist-inspired Latin American movement.
Controversy Surrounding Kidnapping of Priests
Much of the critique concerning Francis’s actions during the military regime centers on the abduction of two priests, Father Franz Jalics and Father Orlando Yorio, in May 1976. Both priests, adherents of liberation theology, lived amongst impoverished communities in a Buenos Aires slum, an activity viewed with suspicion by the dictatorship.
Heavily armed men seized them and transported them to a concentration camp. There, they were held blindfolded and in shackles for five months before being released in a field via helicopter.
Father Yorio later asserted that Bergoglio claimed they were in the slums without authorization and pressured them to leave the Jesuits. Upon their refusal, Yorio alleged that Bergoglio had them expelled from the order shortly before their kidnapping, a decision that critics argue made them vulnerable to abduction.
Decades later, during court testimony, Bergoglio maintained that he had, in fact, worked clandestinely to save their lives and others from death squads.
According to the Vatican’s official spokesperson, accusations against the future pope originated from ‘elements within the anti-clerical Left.’
Shifting Focus as Archbishop and Pope
Ironically, upon becoming Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1997, Bergoglio prioritized evangelism and poverty alleviation in the city’s most impoverished neighborhoods, earning the moniker ‘the Slum Bishop.’
As pope, he also diverged from the politically conservative stances of his predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI, aligning himself with leftist perspectives on numerous issues and demonstrating greater flexibility in engaging with authoritarian regimes.
In 2022, Francis drew controversy by declining to explicitly condemn Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, the Vatican opted to maintain dialogue with the pro-Putin Russian Orthodox Church.
His accommodating approach toward China also provoked accusations that he had forsaken the underground Church there, leaving them vulnerable to persecution by communist authorities.
Emphasis on Environment and Poverty
Arguably, his most significant accomplishment was redirecting the attention of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics away from personal morality concerns, such as contraception and abortion, towards pressing global issues such as environmental threats and the plight of the poor.
Adopting the name of St Francis of Assisi, renowned for his humility and affection for animals, this ‘ecological Pope’ consistently reminded humanity of its obligation to safeguard God’s creation.
Early Life in Argentina
Born in 1936, the future Pope spent his formative years in a large, middle-class family of Italian immigrants residing in a Buenos Aires suburb. His parents had emigrated from Mussolini’s fascist Italy prior to his birth, driven by political rather than economic motivations.
The young Jorge’s life was not always centered on religious pursuits. In his youth, he reportedly worked as a nightclub bouncer and was known as an enthusiastic tango dancer.
He pursued training as a chemical technician. In 1958, at 21, he underwent surgery to remove a significant portion of one lung following a severe pneumonia episode. Despite recurring respiratory infections, colon issues, and heart conditions later in life, Bergoglio maintained a relatively normal life.
Finding His Vocation
Later that same year, he discovered his true calling. Following a confession, he was inspired by the priest to enter religious service. During his time as a seminarian, he experienced another romantic interest and briefly considered abandoning his path but ultimately persevered with his theological studies.
Rapid Advancement within the Jesuit Order
Upon joining the Jesuit order, Bergoglio progressed swiftly, becoming a theology professor and subsequently the Jesuit provincial-general in Argentina from 1973 to 1979.
Elevation to Cardinal and Papal Contender
In 2001, he was elevated to the rank of cardinal by John Paul II. By this time, he was gaining recognition as the most promising figure among Church liberals to reverse the conservative restoration initiated by the Polish Pope.
Following John Paul’s death in 2005, the conclave was divided between two primary candidates: Joseph Ratzinger, the late Pope’s close associate and dean of the College of Cardinals, and Bergoglio, who garnered substantial support from liberal factions and the Southern Hemisphere.
Ratzinger’s election as Benedict XVI represented a victory for traditionalists, but Bergoglio remained patient. Eight years later, in 2013, Benedict unexpectedly announced his resignation—the first pope to do so in five centuries.
This event presented Bergoglio with an opportunity, despite concerns about his health. By then 76 and Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he quickly emerged as the frontrunner. His election was met with jubilation by Catholics in the developing world. Simultaneously, Italians, recognizing his ancestral roots, considered him one of their own after 35 years under a Polish and then a German pope.
A Different Kind of Papacy
Francis broke with tradition by becoming the first pope in over a century to reside outside the papal apartment in the Apostolic Palace, opting instead for the Vatican guest house.
His predecessor, Benedict, now Pope Emeritus, lived nearby. Their relationship was described as amicable, though underlying tensions persisted as Benedict continued to publish and became a focal point for conservative Catholics.
For his part, Francis maintained a demanding schedule of international travels until the COVID-19 pandemic forced him into isolation within the Vatican. Having gained weight post-surgery for diverticulitis, the increasingly sedentary Pope began using a wheelchair.
His diminished mobility became apparent at Benedict’s funeral in January 2023, where Francis presided over the Requiem Mass from his cathedra and offered blessings from his wheelchair.
Ultimately, his weakened lungs succumbed, leading to his hospitalization on Valentine’s Day for bronchitis treatment—particularly perilous given his existing respiratory vulnerabilities. He was subsequently diagnosed with double pneumonia, and his condition was described as critical.
As his condition deteriorated, rumors circulated regarding funeral preparations by the Swiss Guard. Subsequently, the news that the Catholic faithful had long anticipated arrived.