Pope Francis

22 April 2025

Pope Francis I, the 266th pope in the history of the Catholic Church, was elected to the papacy on March 13, 2013, to replace Benedict XVI, who resigned from office two weeks earlier.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936. He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi. Before his seminary education, he worked as a janitor, a bouncer and a lab technician for a chemist before entering the Society of Jesus in 1958. After finishing his initial training, Bergoglio took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and became a Jesuit on March 12, 1960. He was ordained to the priesthood almost a decade later in December 1969. He also held advanced degrees in chemistry, philosophy and theology.

Before coming to Rome, Bergoglio served several roles as bishop in Argentina, including Metropolitan Archbishop. He was made a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II and held several administrative positions within the Roman Curia, the central governing body of the Catholic Church.

Regarded as a great reformer of the Catholic Church, Francis was known for his message of tolerance and love. He will be remembered for his efforts to promote unity between Catholics and devotees of other religions, and for his historic apologies to survivors of clergy sexual abuse. His 2015 papal encyclical Laudato si’ (“Praise Be to You”), which addressed the climate crisis, challenges all people to praise God for his creation, and to work together to safeguard Earth.

Pope Francis I died on 21st April 2025, of a stroke and heart failure after prolonged respiratory illness and pneumonia.

Our selection of images of the funeral and private interment of Pope Francis can be viewed here.

You can view our curated selections of the life of Pope Francis here.

Private Life of the Vatican: The Vatican no longer has any secrets for photographer Eric Vandeville. He has lived in Rome for 20 years and has enjoyed access given to few as a photographer of this city-state in the heart of Rome. These images will take you on a behind-the-scenes tour.