Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who was elected as the 266th pope on March 13, 2013, took an unprecedented step of adopting the name Francis. The Argentine-born was the first Jesuit pope and history's first Latin American pontiff. He served as the head of the Roman Catholic Church for 12 years until his death at 88 on Monday.
Why did Pope Francis change his name?
Upon his ascension to the papacy, the late pontiff chose the name Francis in honour of St. Francis of Assisi, a 13th-century saint known for his poverty, humility, and peace advocacy. This choice was unique, as no other pontiff had ever taken this name. Pope Francis' decision set the tone for his papacy, which was focused on humility, justice for the poor, and love for nature.
During a press conference just days after his election, Francis recalled the exact moment he decided on his papal name. He explained that as his election became imminent during the conclave, Cardinal Cláudio Hummes of Brazil told him, “Don’t forget the poor.”
Francis took those words to his heart and chose to name himself after St. Francis of Assisi, whom he described as “the man of poverty, the man of peace, the man who loves and protects creation,” adding, “How I would like a Church that is poor and for the poor,” according to the Catholic Telegraph.
Who was St. Francis of Assisi?
St. Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone around 1181 or 1182 in Assisi, Italy, is a prominent figure among Catholics. He was a renowned Italian mystic and poet who renounced his wealth to embrace radical poverty. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan Order, which is one of the four remaining mendicant orders of the Catholic Church.
{{/usCountry}}St. Francis of Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone around 1181 or 1182 in Assisi, Italy, is a prominent figure among Catholics. He was a renowned Italian mystic and poet who renounced his wealth to embrace radical poverty. Francis of Assisi founded the Franciscan Order, which is one of the four remaining mendicant orders of the Catholic Church.
{{/usCountry}}In his 2015 encyclical letter Laudato Si', published by the Holy See, the late Pope said of St. Francis of Assisi, “I believe that Saint Francis is the example par excellence of care for the vulnerable and of an integral ecology lived out joyfully and authentically. He is the patron saint of all who study and work in the area of ecology, and he is also much loved by non-Christians.”
“He was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us just how inseparable the bond is between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace,” the former Catholic Church leader added.