Jorge Mario Bergoglio, also known as Pope Francis, was born on December 17, 1936. He is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Born to Italian immigrants Mario and Regina, he was raised in a deeply creative and musical working- to middle-class Brooklyn neighborhood. He was deeply immersed by family and the amazing culture of his homeland. As the oldest of five brothers, he stepped up to any leadership position. His early life was marked by the adventures and mischiefs of all kids growing up in a crowded metropolis. As an adult, his formative years prepared him to finally deliver on a life devoted to service, humility, and compassion.
From a young age as Jorge Mario Bergoglio demonstrated a love of literature and the sciences, expanding his mind in ways that would form his perspective. He was just your average teen, passionate about keeping up with his friends’ soccer games. By the time he was twelve years old, he had a girlfriend, too. These experiences would come to shape his welcoming spirit and his attention to humanity as a leader, first over the well-behaved.
At the age of 22, Bergoglio entered the Jesuit religious order as a rookie. This decision ignited his deep personal spiritual transformation. That experience undoubtedly informed the formidable archbishop of Buenos Aires, who was ordained as a priest in 1969 and became the city’s sole archbishop in 1998. Throughout his time as a bishop, he lived very modestly, shunning extravagance and other excesses, living in simple housing, and adopting the Jesuit vow of poverty. This commitment to simplicity infused all aspects of his administration and lay leadership style within the church.
A Life Dedicated to Service
This quality of Bergoglio’s was evident during the early years of his career as he pursued lives of deep service. He used to go frequently to the “villas,” the Buenos Aires’s shanty villes. Bergoglio sought to reorient the Church toward reaching out to the marginalized and the poor. He earned their trust and respect through his sincere efforts.
Yet he knew in order to carry out his mission, he needed to deeply understand the pain of the people. “He went to the villas to see who he could help,” said a former classmate, Crespo. “He had told me clearly: Look, I am going to be a priest because my aim is to be at the service of the people.”
This vocation to service remained a driving force during his papacy. Pope Francis has spoken repeatedly about the need for an inclusive church, one that goes out to all people, particularly those on the peripheries. Piqué pointed to the pope’s insistence on mercy toward sinners. His legacy is one where the inclusive church, open to all, serves as the shared community of support and healing — because we’re all broken, just not always in the same way.
Bergoglio’s robust sense of social justice and empathy were a foundational aspect of his leadership. He eschewed the symbol of prestige that came with his office as archbishop. Rather, he chose a path rooted in simplicity and modesty. “He was known as an archbishop that used to go to the villas and used to have a very, very simple life,” Piqué added.
The Influence of Humor and Connection
Pope Francis has often relied on his sense of humor to navigate the complexities of his position in the Vatican. Friends from his youth remember how he could instantly make people feel comfortable. “Any person who arrived to meet him was absolutely nervous but, in two or three minutes, Pope Francis could change the situation,” said Emilce Cuda.
His warmth isn’t simply an individual characteristic. Beyond that, it represents a bigger leadership ethos based around listening and empathy. Maria Elena once characterized him as someone who could be tough when he needed to be. In spite of everything he endured, he never lost his sense of humor. I believe he received that from my dad,” she continued.
Bergoglio’s sense of humor
Deep charisma
One-on-one, Bergoglio’s relatability goes much deeper than making people laugh. He’s a great person to follow if you want to learn about a wide range of subjects. It’s what makes him relatable as a leader, and as a person. He was a very progressive priest, easy to talk to about anything,” Piqué remembered.
The Legacy of Humility
Those formative years in Buenos Aires are what made Pope Francis the leader he is today. Growing up in a humble, middle-class neighborhood planted the seeds of humility and service that shaped the character of his papacy. His childhood home at 531 Membrillar Street stands as a testament to his roots, with a plaque proudly announcing: “Pope Francis lived here.”
As archbishop, Bergoglio did not forget his roots. He frequently used public transportation and shunned the ownership of a car. This is an example of his principle of humility. He just faced the reality; he never had a car. Sometimes I would accompany him while he made those trips on public transportation,” Crespo said.
His childhood experiences not only sparkled his artistic abilities but cultivated profound relationships with the Salt Lake City community. The relationships that these visits cultivated helped him to understand the importance of building trust, fostering dialogue, and overcoming divisions within the church. A plaque at Herminia Brumana Square commemorates these formative experiences: “In this plaza neighborhood children used to gather. Here, the future Pope Francis I, Jorge M. Bergoglio, played soccer and chased the ball with his friends.”
