Born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936, he has had quite a diverse life: in his early years, he worked as a bouncer and a janitor before he began studying chemistry and working as a technician in a food science laboratory. A serious illness prompted him to join the Jesuits society in 1958; he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969. Pope Francis is the first head of the Catholic Church from outside Europe since the 8th century, when Gregory III, a Syrian, was the pope. Check out Sputnik's gallery to find out more.
Pope Francis celebrates his 85th birthday on 17 December, giving both his supporters and critics a chance to reflect on his papacy, which started in 2013.
Born as Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Argentina in 1936, he has had quite a diverse life: in his early years, he worked as a bouncer and a janitor before he began studying chemistry and working as a technician in a food science laboratory.
A serious illness prompted him to join the Jesuits society in 1958; he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969.
Pope Francis is the first head of the Catholic Church from outside Europe since the 8th century, when Gregory III, a Syrian, was the pope.
Priests, religious seminarians and Catechists touch the hands of Pope Francis as he leaves after meeting them at Saint Peter's Parish on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, 22 November 2019.
In this undated picture courtesy of Argentine journalist Sergio Rubin, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio celebrates the holy mass in an undetermined church. Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis on 13 March 2013, making him the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis walks past soldiers holding flags of the Vatican and Cyprus at Larnaca International Airport while arriving for his visit to Cyprus and Greece, in Larnaca, Cyprus, on 2 December 2021.
This handout picture released by Virgen De Caacupe Paris church on 20 March 2008 shows the then archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, washing the feet of drug addicts during the ceremonial opening of the Hogar de Cristo (Christ's Home) a rehabilitation centre for addicts in a shantytown of Buenos Aires.
The faithful wave palm leaves as Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass at the monument Mary Queen of Peace, in Port Louis, Mauritius, Monday, on 9 September 2019.
Pope Francis blows a candle on a birthday cake he was offered by children assisted by Santa Marta dispensary during an audience in the Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, Sunday, 22 December 2019.
A gust of wind blows the cassock of Pope Francis as he boards a plane at Athens International Airport in Greece, on 6 December 2021.
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