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Pope Francis

1936 – 2025 · died at about 89^[1][2]

Philosophy & Thought

Fun Facts About Pope Francis

• Pope Francis once worked as a bouncer and a janitor. He later earned a chemical technician's diploma and spent several years in the food section of a laboratory.^[1]
• Francis was often called the first non-European pope, but he was the 11th. The previous one was Gregory III from Syria, who died in 741.^[1]
• At 21, after life-threatening pneumonia, the future Pope Francis had part of a lung removed.^[1]
• On the night of his election, Francis took a bus back to his hotel with the cardinals instead of the papal car. He chose to live in the Vatican guest house rather than the papal apartments.^[1]
• Had he been elected in 2005, Bergoglio would have taken the name John XXIV. In 2013 he became the first pope ever named Francis, after Saint Francis of Assisi.^[1]
• Francis was a longtime fan of the Argentine football club San Lorenzo de Almagro, where his father played basketball. After winning two titles, the club visited him at the Vatican with trophy replicas.^[1]
• Pope Francis was alive at the same time as Ernest Rutherford — their lives overlapped for 1 year (1936–1937).^[1][2][3][4]
• Pope Francis shares a birthday with Ludwig van Beethoven: both were born on December 17.^[1][2][5][6]

Pope Francis was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.^[1]

Contemporaries

James Watson

89 yr overlap

Noam Chomsky

89 yr overlap

Wole Soyinka

89 yr overlap

Jane Goodall

89 yr overlap

Dalai Lama

89 yr overlap

Woody Allen

89 yr overlap

Tu Youyou

89 yr overlap

Yoko Ono

89 yr overlap

Jack Nicholson

88 yr overlap

Jimmy Carter

88 yr overlap

Francis Ford Coppola

86 yr overlap

Elizabeth II

86 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Pope Francis

When was Pope Francis born?

Pope Francis was born on December 17, 1936, and died on April 21, 2025.

How old was Pope Francis at death?

Pope Francis was born on December 17, 1936, and died on April 21, 2025, at age 88.

What was Pope Francis known for?

Pope Francis was known for: First pope from the Americas. Pope Francis was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first Latin American, and the first born or raised outside Europe since the 8th-century Syrian pope Gregory III.

Who was alive at the same time as Pope Francis?

Pope Francis's closest contemporary was James Watson. Their lives overlapped for 89 years.