Pope Francis, the first Pope from the global South, and the first Jesuit (a member of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious Order), passed away on Monday 21st April 2025. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father, Mario, worked as an accountant for the national railways after emigrating to Argentina from Piedmont, north-west Italy. His mother, Regina, was born in Buenos Aires to a family of Italian origin. She and Mario had five children. Jorge was the eldest. Like his father, he was a fan of the Buenos Aires football team, San Lorenzo de Almagro. His grandmother, Rosa, was a major influence on his faith, teaching the young Jorge to pray the rosary. His vocation to be a priest and a Jesuit was founded on the mercy of God.  He did not have it easy. At age  21, he developed severe pneumonia, and part of his right lung was removed in an operation, affecting his breathing permanently. Growing up he once worked as a nightclub bouncer. He also came close to getting married while a young man but eventually decided on the priesthood and religious life. He was ordained a priest on 13 December 1969. On 3 June 1997, he was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of Buenos Aires. He refused to use the chauffeur-driven limousine and would travel only by public transport. On 28 February 2013, the serving Pope, Benedict XVI became the first Pope to resign in almost 600 years. Two weeks later, on 13 March 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was proclaimed the new Pope. He said: “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”  He took solidarity with the poor very seriously, choosing to live in two plain rooms in the Vatican guesthouse rather than the residence in the Apostolic Palace traditionally used by Popes. He would invite the homeless to celebrate his birthday and ensured that free showers and launderettes for the destitute were opened in Rome. He wanted a simple Church, attractive to people, not off-putting, welcoming to all.  Pope Francis was passionate about young people and their potential. He wants us to challenge the ‘throwaway culture’ poisoning our world. He wants us to see in people their innate dignity, not what they are wearing, their so-called status or the contents of their bank account. He wanted young Catholics to develop an intelligent faith, to share it and take their place as active members of a global Church. He believed that the Catholic social teaching we discuss at Blessed Hugh was real and crucial to creating a just world.

Click here for a personal reflection by Cardinal Vincent Nichols. 

Thank you, Pope Francis, for your life and witness - Dr Uttley

 

Our school Chaplain Mrs Carroll meeting the Pope in 2013