Lana Aravadze 
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, into a family of Italian immigrants. His father worked for the railway, and his mother was a homemaker. He had one sister and two brothers. His entire family belonged to the working class, which profoundly shaped Jorge Bergoglio’s humble character and deep sense of solidarity with the poor.
At the age of 17, Jorge had a numinous experience during a confession with a priest. This sacred encounter had a profound impact on his faith and led him to dedicate his life to God and the Church.
In 1958, he joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and began his religious education, immersing himself deeply in philosophy and theology. Throughout his studies, he recognized his calling to the priesthood.
In 1969, Jorge Bergoglio was ordained a priest and quickly became known as a pastor deeply committed to caring for marginalized groups and fighting for social justice. In 1992, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires, and in 1998, he became the archbishop. In 2001, Jorge Bergoglio was elevated to cardinal. His pastoral style as Archbishop of Buenos Aires was characterized by care for the poor, dialogue, and community engagement.
It was in Buenos Aires that he built his reputation as a pastor who was approachable, humble, and passionately committed to the cause of social justice. He cared for the impoverished and advocated for those pushed to the margins of society.
After Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, on March 13, 2013, Jorge Bergoglio was elected pope, becoming the 266th Bishop of Rome. He chose the name Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.
St. Francis of Assisi was a 13th-century Italian friar and founder of the Franciscan Order. He was known for his love of nature, humility, dedication to peace, care for the poor, and commitment to interreligious dialogue.
By choosing the name Francis, Bergoglio clearly signaled the priorities of his papacy: humility, mercy, peace, dialogue, and ecological responsibility.
Mercy
Pope Francis sincerely remained true to these ideals. In 2015–2016, he declared a Year of Mercy, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation within the Church. His apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”) powerfully outlined his vision for an engaged Church, alive in the modern world, fostering mercy and compassion in society.
Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue
Pope Francis continued the ecumenical efforts of his predecessors and significantly deepened them. His friendly and productive relations with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Canterbury, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant churches are notable examples.
In 2017, he joined the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, where he highlighted the need for ecumenical dialogue and healing historical divisions between Protestants and Catholics.
He visited various Orthodox and Eastern Christian countries, including Georgia and Armenia.
Throughout his papacy, he devoted considerable energy to deepening interreligious dialogue, especially with Islam and Judaism, advocating for cooperation and mutual understanding among all faiths across the globe.
Ecological Responsibility
In 2015, Pope Francis issued the encyclical Laudato Si’ (“Praise Be to You”), quoting St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures, which praises God for the beauty of creation and expresses reverence for all parts of the created world — the sun, the moon, the stars, and beyond.
The encyclical addresses climate change and other ecological crises, urging humanity to care for the planet’s ecological future.
Challenges
When Francis assumed the papacy, the Church was entangled in various scandals, particularly the sensitive and devastating issue of sexual abuse by clergy.
Francis took bold steps to address sexual violence and abuse within the Church. He dedicated significant time and energy to meeting with victims and working toward justice.
Solidarity with the Marginalized
Francis consistently defended marginalized groups — refugees, migrants, and the economically disadvantaged. He met with them personally and provided aid, drawing attention within the Catholic Church and beyond to the plight of the marginalized. His actions served as a powerful call for greater compassion worldwide.
Solidarity with the LGBTQ Community
From the very beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis shocked the world with his groundbreaking statement about gay priests:
“If someone is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” — he said in 2013, signaling greater tolerance toward LGBTQ individuals within the Church.
Though Francis remained committed to the traditional Catholic understanding of family, he consistently emphasized the need to respect every human being’s dignity, including LGBTQ individuals. He called on the Church to defend their rights and oppose all forms of violence and discrimination against them.
The Role of Women in the Church
Francis acknowledged that the Catholic Church must listen more to women’s voices, especially in decision-making processes. While he did not go as far as permitting the ordination of women, he emphasized the need for women to play significant roles in the Church’s life and ministry.
He appointed women to responsible positions in the Vatican, including in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Vatican’s financial institutions. In 2016, he established a commission to study the historical role of female deacons in the early Church.
Pope Francis courageously condemned violence and discrimination against women, consistently speaking out against human trafficking, domestic violence, and abuse. He urged society to defend women’s rights.
The Spiritual Legacy of Francis
For some, Pope Francis was too much of a reformer; for others, too conservative; for some, too left-leaning; for others, not left-leaning enough.
Yet one thing is certain: he was a man who changed the Roman Catholic Church once and, hopefully, forever, profoundly impacting not only Christianity but the broader world.
Through his life and ministry, Francis reignited often-forgotten aspects of Jesus Christ’s teaching — that the Church exists to serve the wellbeing of humanity, not the other way around.
Through his humble and simple lifestyle, he challenged Church leaders immersed in hedonism: he chose to live in a guesthouse instead of a palace, traveled in a modest Fiat instead of a lavish limousine…
And finally:
With this letter, we extend our condolences to the children of the now-widowed Roman See — Catholics around the world, and especially to Bishop Giuseppe Pasotto, the clergy, religious, and faithful of the Roman Catholic Church in Georgia. We also express our sympathy to the clergy and faithful of the Armenian Catholic and Chaldean Catholic Churches in Georgia.
We mourn with all whose hearts were broken by the passing of Pope Francis.
May the memory of Pope Francis be eternal.
Malkhaz Songulashvili,
Metropolitan Bishop of Tbilisi,
Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia
P.S. The watercolor portrait of Pope Francis above was painted by Bishop Rusudan Gotsiridze of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia on the day of the Pope’s passing.
