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Francis was the first pope from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first from outside Europe since the eighth century under Pope Gregory III of Syria. He picked the unprecedented name Francis

in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, a beloved figure in the church known for his service to the poor, and in honor of St. Francis Xavier, one of the founders of the Jesuits. He was the first

pope in 110 years to choose not to live in the splendor of the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, signaling his less formal approach by choosing to live and work in a modest Vatican

guesthouse for clergy instead. With high poll numbers among American Catholics, Francis was the first pontiff to address Congress, in September 2015. Like most recent popes, Francis was

multilingual, in keeping with a global church with a claimed 1.3 billion members.  In addition to Spanish and Latin, he spoke Italian and German, and was conversant in French, Portuguese and

English. Growing up, Bergoglio worked at jobs as disparate as bouncer, janitor and chemist in a food science lab. Bergoglio was inspired to become a priest in 1958 after recovering from

illness. He joined the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, an order of priests founded in the mid-16th century, and four years after being ordained in 1969, Bergoglio rose to become the Jesuit

provincial superior in Argentina. He became a cardinal in February 2001, and reportedly came in second in the ballot at the papal conclave that elected Benedict in 2005. Early on, Francis

sought to foster spiritual renewal within the church and greater attention to the plight of the poor in modern capitalism. His 2015 encyclical on the environment, _Laudato Si’_ (“Praise be

to you”), declared climate change a global problem likely to inflict the most suffering on the poorest parts of the world. Pope Francis rides through New York's Central Park in

September 2015. Francis became the first pontiff to address Congress during that historic visit to the U.S. Carl Court/Getty Images Francis was also a strong advocate for older adults, and

when he was elevated to the papacy in 2013 at the age of 76, he urged the cardinals who had elected him to share their cumulative experience with the younger generations. "Let us give

this wisdom to young people," he said. "Like good wine, it becomes better with age." Francis also created an annual commemoration of older adults and the important roles they

play in their communities and families. "The future of the world depends on this covenant between young and old," Francis said in June 2021 ahead of the first World Day for

Grandparents and the Elderly, which is celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July. But he took over a church divided and damaged by scandals, especially a decades-long history of clergy

sexual-abuse allegations in the U.S. and Europe. These resulted in multiple civil lawsuits and criminal charges, shocking revelations of church attempts to cover up abuse and protect

abusers, and costly payouts to accusers that have led to more than two dozen diocesan bankruptcies. Francis sought to advocate for the victims, but critics continue to argue that the Vatican

has been too slow to punish and defrock priests who were abusers. On some issues, Francis’ public utterances suggested he might be open to changes in Catholic doctrine — statements

subsequently walked back by the Vatican or by Francis himself. A few months after becoming pope, he told journalists on the papal plane returning from a visit to Brazil that gay people

should not be ostracized, including gay priests who are otherwise keeping their vows. “Who am I to judge?” he said. He also called for “decriminalization” of homosexuality around the world.

But Francis has also spoken out against same-sex marriage and affirmed the church’s view of the “traditional” family. Historians of the church will have the final say on whether Francis’

papacy was consequential and in what way. But the pope from “the other side of the world” was clear about his own goals in the early months of his reign, as he told various Jesuit magazines

in September 2013. “I see clearly that the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the

church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then

we can talk about everything else.”