th

PROFILE
• Born in Argentina on 17 December 1936 in
Buenos Aires, of Italian descent.
• He was ordained as a Jesuit in 1969 and went on to study in Argentina and
Germany.
• A bishop from 1992, he became
Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998.
• 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.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a priest in 1973

• Pope Francis is the first Latin American to lead the Roman Catholic Church
• He is also the first Jesuit and the first Cardinal from the developing world in a millennium
"It seems my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world [to choose a pope],"
Pope Francis told the crowd in St Peter's Square in his first address.

• Part of his public appeal lay in his humble lifestyle.
• "His lifestyle is sober and austere," He travels on the underground, the bus, when he goes to Rome he flies economy class.
• In Buenos Aires, he lived in a simple flat in the building of the Archdiocese, next door to the cathedral.
• When in Rome he often preferred to keep his
black robe on, instead of the cardinal's red and purple he is entitled to wear.

Pope Francis blesses the crowd from the central balcony of St.
Peter's Basilica at the
Vatican March 13.
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected the
266th Roman Catholic pont iff.

Brothers and sisters, good evening!
You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a
Bishop. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one... but here we are... I thank you for your welcome. The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop. Thank you!
And first of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop
Emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him.
• Our Father...
• Hail Mary...
• Glory Be...

And now, we take up this journey: Bishop and People. This journey of the
Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches. A journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity. It is my hope for you that this journey of the Church, which we start today, and in which my Cardinal Vicar, here present, will assist me, will be fruitful for the evangelization of this most beautiful city.
And now I would like to give the blessing, but first - first I ask a favour of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop. Let us make, in silence, this prayer: your prayer over me. Now I will give the Blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will. [Blessing]
Brothers and sisters, I leave you now. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and until we meet again. We will see each other soon. Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome. Good night and sleep well!

• The coat of arms is the same one he used archbishop of Buenos Aires, with the addition of the papal symbols of a bishops' mitre and gold and silver-crossed keys.
• The shield has a bright blue background, at the centre top of which is a yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on it representing Jesus (it is also the Jesuit logo).
• The IHS monogram, as well as a cross that pierces the H, are in red with three black nails directly under them.
• Under that, to the left, is a star representing
Mary, Mother of Christ and the Church.
• To the right of the star is a nard flower representing Joseph, Patron of the Universal
Church. With these symbols the Pope demonstrates his love for the Holy Family.

• displayed with the coat of arms, is the same as the one he used as a bishop; The
Latin motto beneath the crest is
"miserando atque eligendo"
• This refers to a Bible passage showing
Jesus Christ's "mercy" in choosing
Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples. “Jesus saw the tax collector and by having mercy chose him as an Apostle saying to him: Follow me.”
• It was on the Feast of Saint Matthew in
1953 that a young, seventeen-year-old
Jorge Bergoglio was touched by the mercy of God and felt the call to religious life in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius of
Loyola.
“miserando atque eligendo ,” which in Latin means
“by having mercy, by choosing him.”

• The ring he will wear is from a ring worn by Pope Paul VI's private secretary, Archbishop Pasquale
Macchithe.
• Unlike Benedict's ring, which was made of gold, Francis' will be made of gold-plated silver.
• A picture of the ring provided by the
Vatican shows a small face with a relief image of a bearded St. Peter holding the symbolic keys to heaven.