Celebrate the Visit!
The Pope in America 2015
Pope Francis From Argentina
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Prayer of St. Francis
When people ask Pope Francis why he chose this name, he tells this story:
Cardinal Jorge Mario
Bergoglio – now Pope
Francis – was sitting in the
Sistine Chapel next to a
good friend, the cardinal
from Brazil. When Cardinal
Jorge received the 77 votes
he needed to become pope,
the friend gave him a big
hug and whispered, “Don’t
forget the poor.”
Like St. Francis of Assisi,
Pope Francis likes to be with
the poor. Pope Francis was
archbishop of Buenos Aires in
Argentina before he became
pope. In Buenos Aires he built
chapels and missions in areas
where poor people live. Pope
Francis turned down invitations
to big, expensive parties to be
with poor people.
“This is how my new name
Pope Francis likes to dress
Jorge and his brother
came into my heart,” Pope
simply, too. He doesn’t like
Oscar at First Communion.
Francis says. “St. Francis of
the big vestments and capes
Assisi was a poor man who
that can be part of the pope’s
wanted a poor church.”
wardrobe. He prefers a plain white outfit and
walking shoes. He wears a simple cross that
Pope Francis is the first pope to take the name
shows Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
of Francis. His choice tells a lot about our pope.
A Service of
© 2015 Pflaum Publishing Group, a division of Bayard, Inc., Dayton, OH, www.pflaum.com
Celebrate the Visit!
The Pope in America 2015
Before he became
pope, Francis lived in
an apartment in Buenos
Aires rather than in the
official bishop’s house.
He never owned a car.
He took the bus to work
so he could enjoy the
city and talk with people.
Now he lives in Vatican
City, but he walks to
work.
Pope Francis washed the feet of 12
young people in a juvenile prison
during Holy Week. Two of the young
prisioners were girls and two were
Muslims.
Maria Elena, the
youngest sister of Pope
Francis, told reporters
that he loves to cook
and make his own meals. “He makes fantastic
stuffed calamari,” Maria Elena says. “It’s his
favorite dish.” Pope Francis also loves the San
Lorenzo soccer team.
Pope Francis was the oldest child in his family.
He had two brothers and two sisters, but
Pope Francis
December 17, 1936
Jorge Mario
Bergoglio
Born
in Argentina
2005-2011
President of
the Bishops
Conference in
Argentina
March 1958
Joins
the Jesuits
March 13, 2013
2013-now
Elected
Pope
Sends Tweets
@pontifex
only Maria Elena is alive
now. His father was an
accountant for the railroad.
Both his father and mother
were from Italy.
In high school Pope
Francis studied chemistry
and played pick-up
basketball with his
classmates. He joined the
Society of Jesus when he
was 21, a religious order of
priests also called Jesuits.
He studied philosophy
and theology so he could
become a priest. Father
Jorge became a teacher, a leader of the
Jesuits, and then the Archbishop of Buenos
Aires. He never thought he would be Pope.
Pope Francis is the first pope from the
Americas. Latin America, Africa, and Asia are
the places where the number of Catholics is
December 13, 1969
Ordained
a priest
December 2014
Helps U.S.
and Cuba
make peace
February 1998
Becomes
Archbishop
of Buenos Aires
February 2001
Made
a Cardinal
May 2015
September 2015
Writes
Laudato Sí, a
letter to protect
Planet Earth
Visits
United States
A Service of
© 2015 Pflaum Publishing Group, a division of Bayard, Inc., Dayton, OH, www.pflaum.com
Celebrate the Visit!
The Pope in America 2015
growing the fastest. More than 40 percent of
the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics live in Latin
America. The cardinals decided to choose a
pope who understands these countries from
first-hand experience. Pope Francis, who
is 78, has spent his whole life caring for the
Church in Argentina.
his inauguration Pope Francis promised
to protect the church and each person,
“Especially children, the elderly, those in
need, and all creation.” After all, the Pope
said, “St. Francis is a man of poverty, a
man of peace, and the man who loves and
protects creation.”
Pope Francis has many titles as the leader
of the Church, including Holy Father. At
What Do You Think?
1
How has Pope Francis shown he loves people who are poor?
2
How do Pope Francis’s words tell us about him? What do his
actions tell us about him?
3
Why did he choose the name Francis?
A Service of
© 2015 Pflaum Publishing Group, a division of Bayard, Inc., Dayton, OH, www.pflaum.com