Autor: Julie Schwietert Collazo

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Flores, Buenos Aires, Argentina, on December 17, 1936, to an Italian immigrant father and an Argentinian mother. He graduated high school with a diploma in chemical technology and at age twenty-two, during a severe case of pneumonia, had part of one lung removed. Once fully recovered, he decided to devote himself to the priesthood and joined the Jesuits as a novice. After ten years of study, he was ordained a priest in 1969. In 1973, he became the regional leader for the worldwide Jesuit order. In 1992, Father Jorge, as he preferred to be called, was appointed Auxiliary Bishop in Buenos Aires, and he became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. Pope John Paul II appointed Bergoglio Cardinal in 2001. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the Conclave met to elect a new pope. On March 13, 2013, after two days and five ballots, they elected Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis I. Julie Schwietert Collazo has written for a variety of magazines including Time, National Geographic Traveler, and Latina, reporting widely on Latin America. She lives in New York, though she has called San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Mexico City home as well. Lisa Rogak is the New York Times bestselling author of more than forty books and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. Her books have been published in more than two dozen languages. She lives in New Hampshire.