Jorge Mario Bergoglio Becomes Pope Francis

On 13 March 2013, the papal conclave gathered in Vatican City elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as the leader of the Catholic Church. Assuming the name Francis in honor of Francis of Assisi, the 76-year-old Argentine became the 266th pope, the first Jesuit to hold the office and the first pontiff from the Americas. His election followed the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years, setting in motion an administrative and cultural pivot for the Vatican.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 17 December 1936, the son of Piedmontese immigrants, Bergoglio trained as a chemical technician before entering the Society of Jesus in 1958. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 and in 1973 was appointed provincial superior of the Jesuits in Argentina. Elevated to auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires in 1992 and metropolitan archbishop in 1998, he also served as primate of Argentina and, from 2005 to 2011, presided over the Argentine Episcopal Conference.