Image: Bergoglio at an Argentine seminary where he studied for the priesthood in the 1950s By Unknown author – https://nypost.com/2025/01/13/world-news/pope-benedict-passed-box-of-vatican-secrets-to-pope-francis/, Public Domain, (Wikipedia)
Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio on 17 December 1936 in Flores, a middle-class neighborhood of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was the eldest of five children born to Mario José Bergoglio, an Italian immigrant accountant from the Piedmont region of Italy, and Regina María Sívori, a housewife of northern Italian descent born in Buenos Aires. The Bergoglio family had deep Italian roots, with Regina’s lineage tracing back to families from northern Italy’s Piedmont and Liguria regions.
Immigration Background
During the post-World War I era, in 1918, the Bergoglio family relocated from Turin to the Province of Asti, seeking a more stable life. By 1929, amidst the rise of Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime, Mario Bergoglio emigrated from Italy to Argentina in search of political refuge rather than economic opportunity, according to María Elena Bergoglio, the Pope’s only surviving sibling. This perspective counters the common assumption that the migration was motivated solely by financial hardship.
Siblings and Extended Family
Pope Francis had four siblings: Oscar Adrián, Marta Regina, Alberto Horacio, and María Elena. Though all his siblings have since passed away except for María Elena, their familial bond was strong throughout their lives. His niece, Cristina Bergoglio, has gained some recognition as a painter residing in Madrid, Spain.
Education and Early Employment
Bergoglio’s formal education began in the sixth grade at Wilfrid Barón de los Santos Ángeles, a school run by the Salesians of Don Bosco in Ramos Mejía, located in Buenos Aires Province. He then continued his studies at the Escuela Técnica Industrial Nº 27 Hipólito Yrigoyen, a technical secondary school in Buenos Aires, where he earned a diploma as a chemical technician.
Upon graduating, Bergoglio spent several years working in the food science division of the Hickethier-Bachmann Laboratory, a job which brought him into contact with Esther Ballestrino, a Paraguayan biochemist and activist who would later become an inspiration to him. During this period, he also briefly worked as a bouncer and a janitor, reflecting the diversity and modesty of his early professional life.
Health Challenges
At the age of 21, Bergoglio suffered from a life-threatening episode of pneumonia complicated by the presence of three cysts in his lungs. The condition was so severe that it necessitated the surgical removal of the upper lobe of his right lung. This early encounter with serious illness would shape his lifelong approach to compassion and suffering, themes that would later become central in his pastoral mission as a priest and, eventually, Pope.
References
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Vatican News. “Biography of Pope Francis.” Vatican.va. Retrieved from https://www.vatican.va
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Allen, John L. Jr. (2013). Francis: A New Pope, A New World. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
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Rubin, Sergio & Ambrogetti, Francesca (2010). El Jesuita: Conversaciones con el cardenal Jorge Bergoglio. Buenos Aires: Vergara.
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“Pope Francis: His Early Life.” BBC News, March 13, 2013. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world
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Bergoglio, María Elena. Interview with La Nación, April 2013.
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“Cristina Bergoglio: la sobrina artista del Papa.” El País, April 2013.
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Skorka, Abraham. (2013). On Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on Faith, Family, and the Church in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Image Books.
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“Pope Francis: The Humble Son of Buenos Aires.” The Guardian, March 14, 2013.
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“Pope Francis’ Background in Chemistry and Early Work Life.” Scientific American, March 2013.
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“Salesian Influence on Pope Francis.” Salesians of Don Bosco Official Site, 2014.
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Ivereigh, Austen. (2014). The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope. New York: Henry Holt & Company.
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“Health History of Pope Francis.” New York Times, March 2013.
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