10 facts about Pope Francis - Action News
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10 facts about Pope Francis

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who will be known as Pope Francis after being selected by a conclave at the Vatican today, has a surprising background for the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Here are some facts about the new Pope:

  • Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born Dec. 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, one of five children born to an Italian railway worker and his wife
  • He speaks Spanish, Italian and German.
  • He reportedly had a lung removed when he was a teenager due to an infection.
  • He rides a bus to work, wears an ordinary priest's robe and lives with an older priest in a simple apartment where he cooks his own meals, rather than live at the luxurious residencehe was entitled to as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
  • Hehas written books on spirituality and meditation and has been outspoken against abortion and same-sex marriages, according to the Catholic News Service.
  • He is the first Jesuit to be named a pope. He entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained in 1969 during his theological studies at the Theological Faculty of San Miguel.
  • Hehas chosen the name Francis the first time in papalhistory that name has been used.
  • He is the first pope from the Americas and the first from outside Europe inmore than 1,000 years.
  • Even though he has no Vatican experience, he becomesthe 266th pontiff in the Roman Catholic Church's 2,000-year history.
  • He was the second choice of the conclave that elected Joseph Ratzinger, known as Benedict XVI,as pope eight years ago.

With files from The Associated Press