1936
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires. His parents were immigrants from Italy, and he was the eldest of five siblings. As a boy, he was intelligent, deeply religious and loved to dance the tango.
A young Jorge Mario Bergoglio in an undated photograph.Credit…Jesuit General Curia, via Getty Images
1952
When he was 16, Jorge was rushing to meet friends but paused at the Basilica of St. Joseph in Buenos Aires, feeling an urge to go inside. In the sanctuary, it felt as though “someone grabbed me from inside,” he said, adding, “Right there I knew I had to be a priest.” He later joined a seminary.
1969
After 13 years of study, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was ordained as a priest.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, standing second from left, with his family.Credit…API/Gamma-Rapho, via Getty Images
1973
Father Bergoglio became the head of the Jesuits, an order of priests, in Argentina. At the time, the country was in the throes of a “dirty war,” when the ruling military junta tortured, killed or “disappeared” as many as 30,000 people. Father Bergoglio later faced accusations that he had done little to protect two priests with antigovernment views who were kidnapped and tortured by the regime. He has denied the claims, saying he protected priests and others by pressing military officials behind the scenes.
1979
Father Bergoglio’s tenure as head of the Jesuits ended in controversy, with critics accusing him of having an autocratic management style. Church authorities sent him into de facto exile in Frankfurt, Germany, and then to Córdoba, Argentina.
1992
Father Bergoglio’s exile was interrupted when he was unexpectedly named an auxiliary bishop of the Buenos Aires diocese. He became archbishop six years later, and focused on outreach to the poor. He was elevated to cardinal in 2001.
Cardinal Bergoglio greeting parishioners in Buenos Aires.Credit…Claudia Conteris/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
2013
Francis was elected pontiff after Pope Benedict XVI resigned, citing health concerns. Francis tried to move the church away from divisive issues such as abortion and homosexuality, instead focusing on climate change, poverty and migration. His first papal trip was to Lampedusa, an Italian island that had become a beacon for asylum seekers and migrants.
Pope Francis waving to the crowds in front of St. Peter’s Basilica minutes after his election in 2013.Credit…Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press
2014
Francis established a commission to address the church’s clerical sexual-abuse scandals. It included victims of abuse and sought to hold bishops accountable, but the effort eventually fell apart.
2014
The United States and Cuba restored diplomatic relations for the first time in decades. Francis was credited with helping bridge the divide between President Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba, leading to the historic breakthrough.
Pope Francis visiting Cuba in 2015 after he helped the United States and Cuba to restore diplomatic relations.Credit…Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
2015
Francis released “Laudato Si,” the first papal encyclical focused solely on the environment. It called for protecting the environment and denounced the excesses of global capitalism in exploiting the poor.
2015
During a six-day trip to the United States, Francis became the first pope to address Congress.
Pope Francis addressing Congress in 2015, becoming the first pontiff to do so.Credit…Zach Gibson/The New York Times
2016
Francis repeatedly sought to stand up to nationalism. During the U.S. presidential election, he suggested that Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate, was “not Christian” because of his preference for building walls rather than bridges. Mr. Trump responded: “For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian.”
2017
Francis sought closer relations with other religions, especially in places where Catholics were at risk of persecution. At a conference in Cairo, he denounced “demagogic forms of populism” and violence masquerading as piety.
Pope Francis meeting Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Cairo, Egypt, as part of an effort to improve relations with other religious leaders.Credit…Gregorio Borgia/Associated Press
2018
Francis reached a provisional agreement with the Chinese government to end a decades-long power struggle over the right to appoint bishops in the country. The deal gave the church greater access to China, but also legitimized seven bishops appointed by Beijing, which critics said set a dangerous precedent.
2019
Francis issued the church’s most comprehensive response in decades to the sexual abuse crisis. It obligated church officials worldwide to report cases of sexual abuse, and efforts to cover them up, to their superiors. But it did not require officials to report abuse to the police, an omission that enraged victims.
Sex abuse survivors marching in Rome as Pope Francis hosted a four-day summit on preventing clergy sexual abuse, in 2019.Credit…Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press
2019
A meeting of bishops from the Amazon region recommended that Francis allow the ordination of married men as priests in remote areas of South America. He signaled an openness to the idea, but ultimately set aside the proposal.
2020
On Good Friday, from a dark, deserted St. Peter’s Square, Francis delivered a blessing and called for solidarity around the world to confront the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, Italy was in lockdown amid a deadly wave of the virus.
Pope Francis celebrating Good Friday during the pandemic in a near-empty St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in 2020.Credit…Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times
2022
During a visit to Canada, Francis begged for forgiveness from the country’s Indigenous people for the “evil” inflicted upon them by Christians. He also apologized for the church’s role in running residential schools where Indigenous children were abused and many died.
Pope Francis at a meeting with Indigenous leaders over the church’s role in running boarding schools where children were abused.Credit…Ian Willms for The New York Times
2023
Francis for the first time held a meeting of world bishops that included women and lay people as voting members. The synod, as the meeting is known, broached some of the most sensitive topics in the church, including the role of women, celibacy and the marital status of priests, but it didn’t change those policies. After the meeting, Francis allowed priests to bless gay couples.
2025
Francis died on Monday at 7:35 a.m., less than a day after blessing the faithful who had gathered for an Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square. He appeared on a balcony on Sunday, looking frail, and after blessing the crowd, he deferred to a Vatican aide to address the crowd on his behalf.
Francis had wrestled serious health issues in the preceding months, including a severe respiratory infection that had sent him to the hospital for weeks.
He leaves a legacy of inclusion and activism, having often spoken in support of migrants, the marginalized and the environment.
Ali Watkins contributed reporting.
