Who Was…? biography series for middle grade inspires with the story of Pope Francis – a man who became the first pope from South America.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (1936-2025) was born in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian family. He was the oldest of five children.
His grandmother took care of him during the day. She taught him about the
Catholic saints, prayed with him, and took him to church. She also taught him
to be open-minded, and accept all people of different faiths; and instilled the
love for books in him.
In 1956, he enrolled at a seminary in Buenos
Aires. In 1961, he continued his studies at Jesuit school in Santiago, Chile.
When he taught religion to third- and fourth- grade children, he saw poverty of
hungry children, some wearing rags, no shoes. His heart went out to them.
Upon returning to Buenos Aires in 1963, he
taught at the best Catholic High Schools.
In 1973, he took his final vows. Soon after, he
was made a Jesuit provincial superior of Argentina and Uruguay. He worked hard
to help the poor. He opened new churches. But he made a lot of decisions on his
own without listening to others. That had its consequences after the Dirty War
1974-1983. During the military dictatorship called the junta, he ordered the
Jesuit priests to stay quiet. It was brought up after the Dirty War in 1983,
and later in 2013 when he became pope. He admitted that he made mistakes and
regretted them.
The priests, who disliked his actions, stopped
his rise. Instead, he was sent to Cordoba where he needed permission for
anything he wanted to do. It was a harsh punishment for him, to go from giving
orders and making decisions on his own. Now, he was serving poor people of
Cordoba.
In 1992, his punishment ended and he was
appointed to help the archbishop of Buenos Aires run all the Catholic churches
in the city. After many years of humble work and soul-searching, he had
changed. Now, he listened to others before making decisions. And he focused
even more on helping the poor.
When he became archbishop in 1998, he didn’t wear
silk robes or used any luxuries. He remained in simple robes, lived in a small
apartment, and used public transportation.
Now, he wasn’t afraid to speak up publicly
against the government. His courage impressed many people, including the pope,
at the time, John Paul II, who made Jorge a cardinal in 2001.
With his continuous work, he proved to be a
strong leader who chose to lead humble life despite his titles and luxuries
they offered.
On March 13, 2013, Jorge became the new pope
taking the name of Francis, honoring St. Francis of Assisi who was known for
helping the poor.
One of the first things he did, he got in touch
with the US and Cuban presidents, and offered to be their go-between. So the
two countries could bridge their differences.
He continued to be outspoken in regards to the
poor. He said, “I want a Church that is poor and for the poor.”
This biography illustrates a man who found his
calling as a teenager and followed through despite his parents wanting him to
take a different vocation. He was smart and empathetic toward poor, always
wanting to help them, but along his rise he made some decisions that made
others question his actions. His descent gave him time to reflect on his
decisions. After soul-searching, he had risen again to the very top by becoming
a pope, and continuously serving those in needs.
Source: Penguin Workshop, 2017
TRENDING INSPIRATION: Through humility, he
learned how to listen to others, and include them in decision making.
Traits:
·
His grandmother instilled good values in him,
including to be open-minded, and accept all people of different faiths which he
displayed throughout his life.
·
When he taught religion and saw poverty of
hungry children, it touched him deeply, and reinforced his calling of serving
the poor.
·
During war time, he made some questionable
decisions, for which he felt regret afterwards, and paid a price of his
descent.
·
He went from giving orders and making
decisions, to having ask permission for anything he wanted to do.
·
His time of reflection and soul-searching
allowed him to rise again and make much better decisions.
“Let us treat others with the same passion and
compassion with which we want to be treated.” – Pope Francis
“Have the courage to swim against the tide. Have
the courage to be happy.” – Pope Francis
“Let us not be satisfied with a mediocre life.”
– Pope Francis
“Life flows through our relations with others.”
– Pope Francis
“Trivial choices lead to a trivial life; great
choices lead to a great life. We become what we choose, for better or for
worse.” – Pope Francis
“We didn’t come into this world to vegetate. We
came into this world to leave a mark.” – Pope Francis
FURTHER INSPIRATION AND RECOMMENDATION:
Pope Francis’ one of the latest books is A Good Life: 15 Essential Habits for Living with Hope and Joy.
It’s written in a form of vignettes, capturing
the significant passages of life. It’s one of those books that can be read one
passage a day, and reread for months and years. It’s a kind of read that lingers
and stays with a reader for a long time.
We all have our mindsets, and in this book Pope
Francis uses his wisdom and compassion to touch those mindsets with so much
depth and warmth. They fill each fiber of human body. With gentle suggestions
and nudges, he mentors how to have a meaningful life filled with purpose and
growth.
Review of this book, is on this site: https://biopurposeland.blogspot.com/2024/02/a-good-life-by-pope-francis.html
