Happy Birthday Pope Francis!

Pope Francis celebrates his birthday today on 17 December. The millions of faithful is being glad on their Holy Father’s birthday. The Pontiff was born in Argentina, who always asks that they remember to pray for him.

Biography

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born into a Catholic family on December 17, 1936, in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Flores, as the oldest of the five children of Mario José Bergoglio and Regina María Sívori, Italian immigrants.

He was baptized on Christmas Day 1936 in the Basilica María Auxiliadora y San Carlos in the Almagro neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

His studies were at the Wilfrid Barón de los Santos Ángeles Salesian School and studied at the National School of Technical Education No. 27 Hipólito Yrigoyen from which he graduated as a chemical technician. He later worked in the Hickethier-Bachmann laboratory.

He suffered a lung disease for which he underwent a surgical operation. In which portion of his lung was removed, which did not prevent him from carrying out his activities normally.

On March 11, 1958, he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus at the Villa Devoto Seminary. As a novice of the Society of Jesus, he finished his studies at the Jesuit Seminary of Santiago de Chile.

He was ordained a priest on December 13, 1969, at almost 33 years of age.

He continued his studies from 1970 to 1971 at the University of Alcalá Henares (Spain) and on April 22, 1973, he made his profession as a Jesuit. Back in Argentina, he was a novice master at Villa Barilari; a professor at the Faculty of Theology of San Miguel; provincial consultant for the Society of Jesus, a position he held until 1979; and rector of the Highest College of the Faculty.

He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires by Pope John Paul II on 20 May 1992. When the health of the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Cardinal Antonio Quarracino, began to weaken, Bishop Bergoglio was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop on June 3, 1997. Upon his death, Cardinal Quarracino succeeded him as Archbishop of Buenos Aires on 28 February 1998.

During the consistory of 21 February 2001, Pope John Paul II made him a Cardinal. Cardinal he was part of the Commission for Latin America; the Congregation for the Clergy; the Pontifical Council for the Family; the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

He was President of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, twice from November 2005 to November 2011. He decorated the position of member of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM).

Cardinal Bergoglio always led a simple and austere lifestyle. He lived in a small apartment instead of the episcopal residence. He gave up his limousine and his driver used public transport and prepared his food.

Cardinal Bergoglio enjoyed opera, tango, and soccer, whose passion he still enjoys as a member of the Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro.

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