RELIGIOUS FIGURE

Pope Francis

1936 - 2025

Photo of Pope Francis

Icon of person Pope Francis

Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State 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. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to a family of Italian origin, Bergoglio was inspired to join the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a severe illness. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969, and from 1973 to 1979 he was the Jesuit provincial superior in Argentina. He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the 2013 papal conclave elected Bergoglio as pope on 13 March. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Pope Francis is the 2nd most popular religious figure (up from 9th in 2019), the most popular biography from Argentina (up from 2nd in 2019) and the most popular Argentinean Religious Figure.

Pope Francis is most famous for being the first non-European pope in over 1,200 years. He is also famous for his simple lifestyle and his focus on social justice and environmentalism.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Pope Francis by language

Loading...

Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES

Among religious figures, Pope Francis ranks 2 out of 3,187. Before him are Muhammad. After him are Mary, mother of Jesus, Saint Peter, Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI, Moses, Martin Luther, Pope John Paul II, Paul the Apostle, Saint Joseph, and Abraham.

Most Popular Religious Figures in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1936, Pope Francis ranks 1. After him are Silvio Berlusconi, Václav Havel, Sepp Blatter, Mario Vargas Llosa, Yves Saint Laurent, Robert Redford, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Barry Barish, Amancio Ortega, Mikhail Tal, and Ismail Kadare. Among people deceased in 2025, Pope Francis ranks 1. After him are David Lynch, José Mujica, Gene Hackman, Mario Vargas Llosa, Marianne Faithfull, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Boris Spassky, Richard Chamberlain, Ozzy Osbourne, Val Kilmer, and Brian Wilson.

Others Born in 1936

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2025

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In Argentina

Among people born in Argentina, Pope Francis ranks 1 out of 1,154. After him are Che Guevara (1928), Jorge Luis Borges (1899), Diego Maradona (1960), Alfredo Di Stéfano (1926), Eva Perón (1919), Juan Perón (1895), Juan Manuel Fangio (1911), Astor Piazzolla (1921), Jorge Rafael Videla (1925), Isabel Martínez de Perón (1931), and José de San Martín (1778).

Others born in Argentina

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES In Argentina

Among religious figures born in Argentina, Pope Francis ranks 1. After him are Leonardo Sandri (1943), Mario Aurelio Poli (1947), Estanislao Esteban Karlic (1926), Juan Carlos Aramburu (1912), Antonio Caggiano (1889), Víctor Manuel Fernández (1962), Luis Héctor Villalba (1934), Eduardo Francisco Pironio (1920), Raúl Francisco Primatesta (1919), Jorge María Mejía (1923), and Egypt at the 2020 Summer Olympics (null).

Argentinean born Religious Figures

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous