Francis (Pope)

Life

His birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After working briefly as a chemical technician and in other jobs, he entered the seminary. As a member of the Society of Jesus, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1969. From 1973 to 1979 he served as Jesuit provincial of Argentina (the superior who leads a religious order within a given region), and in 1998 he became Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

On March 13, 2013, he succeeded Benedict XVI as pope. He was the first pope from the Americas and the first from the Jesuit order. He is also known as the first non-European pope since Gregory III in the eighth century.

On Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, he delivered his final Easter message in St. Peter's Square. The following day, April 21, he died at the age of 88 at his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae (Casa Santa Marta). The Holy See announced the cause of death as a stroke followed by cardiocirculatory arrest. His funeral Mass was held in St. Peter's Square on April 26. In accordance with his wishes, his remains were interred in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Ministry and Achievements

From the beginning of his pontificate, he championed "a poor Church for the poor" and drew attention for his simple, unpretentious manner of life. He pursued reforms to make the organization and finances of the Holy See more transparent and addressed the problem of sexual abuse by clergy. He consistently spoke out on social issues such as migrants and refugees, war and peace, the ecological crisis, and economic justice. He is also credited with fostering dialogue between Catholics and Protestants, including through cooperation with the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Influence on Korean Christianity

From August 14 to 18, 2014, he made a state visit to South Korea. It was his first visit to Asia as pope and the first papal visit to Korea in twenty-five years, following the visits of John Paul II in 1984 and 1989. The visit had two main purposes:

• To attend the Sixth Asian Youth Day, held in the Daejeon and Chungcheong region
• To preside on August 16 over the beatification of 124 martyrs at Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul. The 124 were Paul Yun Ji-chung and his companions, who were martyred during the persecution of Catholics in Joseon. Beatification is the rite by which the Holy See formally declares martyrs and others to be "Blessed."

During the visit, he met with the bishops of Asia at the Haemi Martyrs' Shrine and celebrated a "Mass for Peace and Reconciliation" at Myeongdong Cathedral. Before that Mass, he met with leaders of various religious communities, including the general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK). On the flight back to Rome, he held a press conference wearing a yellow ribbon given to him by families of victims of the Sewol ferry disaster. His remark on that occasion that "one cannot be neutral in the face of human suffering" became widely known. A visit to North Korea was explored in 2018–2019 but never took place.

In December 2024, an NCCK delegation on an ecumenical pilgrimage with the Korean Christian Faith and Order Council was received by the pope in an official audience.

Assessment

Both within and beyond the Catholic Church, he is regarded as a leader who embodied simplicity of life, reform, and solidarity with the vulnerable. Shortly after his death, the NCCK issued a message of condolence in the name of its general secretary, Kim Jong-saeng. The message honored his efforts toward unity as a precious legacy of the ecumenical movement (the movement for church unity). Rev. Kim Jong-hyeok, president of the United Christian Churches of Korea, also expressed his condolences, honoring the pope for living simply and humbly and for leaving behind a message of reconciliation.

Protestants, however, have not accepted papal primacy since the Reformation. Papal primacy is the Catholic doctrine that the pope holds supreme authority over the whole Church. Views within Protestantism on how far to engage and cooperate with the Catholic Church also differ according to denomination and theological position.