CHAPTER 1 A FUTURE LEADER IS BORN the pope was born in Buenos Aires on December 17 1936 Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina a country in South America His father came to Buenos Aires from Italy His mother was born and raised in Buenos Aires Together they had five children Though the world knows the pope as Francis his birth name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio A RELIGIOUS YOUTH Jorge grew up in a traditional household His parents were devout Catholics They raised their children to believe in Catholicism too Religion was Bergoglio became the pope at the age of seventy six after a lifetime of dedication to his faith and the
A FUTURE LEADER Is BORN A young Bergoglio standing second from the left is seen here with his family in Argentina an important part of the Bergoglio children s upbringing and Jorge and his brothers and sisters attended Catholic schools Jorge graduated from a Catholic high school with a chemical technician s diploma He worked as a laboratory technician for a few years after that Bergoglio spent a few years in the secular world but he felt a calling to the
POPE FRANCIS THE PEOPLE S PONTIFF He believed that devoting his life to God was what he was meant to do In 1955 he began studies at a seminary in Buenos Aires In 1958 he began a novitiate to become a Jesuit or a member of the Society of Jesus A novitiate is the period of training and preparation a person must go through before becoming a full member of a religious order While going through his novitiate Bergoglio studied humanities at a school in Santiago Chile Then he earned a licentiate similar to a master's degree in philosophy in Buenos Aires After he graduated he taught literature and psychology to high school students He QUICK FACT After high school Bergoglio became ill with life threatening pneumonia He even had part of his lung removed This was the only serious health crisis in his life which made him a good candidate for pope in his later years 8
A FUTURE LEADER Is Born also used this time to work toward yet another degree This time the subject was theology the study of religion Bergoglio's interest in education is AD Mornia Iran cost Fame Is so BRISTY MILITIEST NON SOLEN Local reunLET inelio very much in line with the BOs ET ATAWDr GARCIA Aris Dawn Sato saiNAL Jesuits beliefs A Spanish knight named Ignatius of The Society Loyola founded the Society of Jesus of Jesus is in the sixteenth century known for its educational missionary and charitable works Its interest in education and charity has helped modernize the Catholic Church over the years Not coincidentally Pope Francis the first Jesuit pope has already been credited with modernizing the current
