Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis, was born on December 17, 1936. 

In his adulthood, he taught literature and psychology at the Colegio del Salvatore. It wasn’t until 1969, however, that he was ordained a priest. After getting ordained, he decided that he wanted to serve as Jesuit provincial of Argentina. While his mother did not initially approve of him getting ordained as a priest, she accepted his choice by the time the actual ceremony came around. While he technically became an ordained priest in 1969, he did not become known as Pope Francis until March 13, 2013. 

Not only did he become the pope of the Roman Catholic Church, however. He was also the first non-European to be named the pope. However, it is important to note that he had established himself in his papacy prior to becoming Pope Francis. Once he became the Pope, though, the media quickly latched on and spread stories of his good character, such as him choosing to live simply instead of leading a lavish lifestyle. 

In one of his most popular interviews, he described how the dialogue coming from the Church needs to be centered around more topics than simply abortion or homosexuality. Instead, he posits that more focus needs to be placed on the actual words of the Gospel. 

Pope Francis had lax views on homosexuality, but these lax views did not translate to believing that women could get ordained as priests. The same year that he became known as Pope Francis, he held a speech for reform of the Catholic Church. He stated that he wanted the church to be less focused on the stringent adherence of customs that the Catholic Church is known for, but rather on openness and acceptance. Shortly after making this announcement, he was named the “Person of the Year” from Time Magazine. The section for his article basically explained how many throughout the world who had given up on the Catholic Church had a change of heart thanks to his beliefs.