Key dates in life of Pope Francis

Pope Francis, the first Jesuit and Latin American Pope, passed away on Monday at the age of 86. Below are some key milestones in his remarkable life reported by AFP.

December 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the son of an accountant and a housewife, both of Italian immigrant heritage.

September 21, 1953: Felt a calling to the priesthood. He later described how a spiritual encounter with Jesus on his way to a school event changed the course of his life and led him to the church.

1957: Underwent surgery to remove part of one of his lungs.

March 11, 1958: After completing studies in chemical engineering, he joined the Jesuit order and embraced its ideology.

December 13, 1969: Ordained as a priest.

July 31, 1973: Became the leader of the Argentine Jesuits, a position he held for six years.

1980: Began working as a parish priest and rector at San Miguel College during the turbulent years of the Argentine dictatorship.

1986: Traveled to Germany, later visiting Cordoba, Argentina.

1992: Returned to Buenos Aires as an auxiliary bishop.

February 28, 1998: Appointed Archbishop of Buenos Aires.

February 21, 2001: Created a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.

March 13, 2013: Elected as the 266th Pope after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. He chose the papal name "Francis" in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.

July 8, 2013: Made his first international trip as Pope to Lampedusa Island in Italy, addressing the crisis of migration and denouncing the 'globalization of indifference.'

July 11, 2013: Initiated the Vatican's efforts to address sexual abuse scandals within the Church and combat corruption.

July 29, 2013: On a flight from Brazil, he famously stated, "If someone is homosexual and seeks the Lord with a good will, who am I to judge him?"

June 18, 2015: Published his second encyclical, Laudato si', calling for action on climate change and environmental justice.

February 12, 2016: Held a historic meeting with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Havana, marking the first such meeting between the two Churches in nearly 1,000 years.

May 23, 2016: Met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, strengthening interfaith dialogue between Christianity and Islam.

April 11, 2018: Admitted to making "big mistakes" in handling sexual abuse cases in Chile, offering a public apology.

September 22, 2018: Announced a historic agreement between the Vatican and China regarding the appointment of bishops.

March 27, 2020: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis delivered an unprecedented 'Urbi et Orbi' blessing to the world from an empty St. Peter's Square.

October 26, 2020: Voiced support for civil unions for homosexual couples in a documentary, advocating for their legal protection.

March 6, 2021: Made a historic visit to Iraq, where he met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

July 4, 2021: Underwent successful colon surgery and remained in the hospital for seven days.

June 5, 2022: The Apostolic Constitution, a major reform of the Vatican's governance, came into effect.

January 5, 2023: Led the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Square.

March 29, 2023: Admitted to the hospital due to shortness of breath and stayed for three nights.

June 7, 2023: Underwent surgery for a hernia and stayed in the hospital for five nights.

September 3, 2024: At the age of 88, embarked on a 12-day historic visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.

February 14, 2025: Admitted to the hospital with bronchitis, which later developed into double pneumonia.