Argentinian priest and leader of the Catholic Church Jorge Mario Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis, was BOTD in 1936. Born in Buenos Aires, he trained as a chemist, and joined the Jesuits in 1958 after recovering from a serious illness. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1969, becoming archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and was created a cardinal in 2001. He rose to national attention for his involvements in the December 2001 riots in Argentina, resulting in the resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, Bergoglio was elected Pope, choosing Francis as his papal name in honour of St Francis of Assisi. As pontiff, he attempted to de-formalise his role, living in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guest-house rather than the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. His public statements showed an interest in interfaith dialogue, concern for the poor and refugees and criticism of free market economics. Despite hopes that he would revolutionise Catholic doctrine, he maintained the Church’s opposition to abortion, ordination of women and priests being able to marry. He maintained that Catholics should be more welcoming of LGBT people, while maintaining the Church’s position that homosexuality is a sin, and suggested that same-sex marriage “disfigures God’s plan for creation”. He also attempted to repair the reputational damage caused by the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, meeting with sexual abuse survivors and launching investigations into paedophile priests, though was criticised for his lack of meaningful action to stamp out institutional abuse within the Church. He died in 2025, aged 88, and was succeeded by Pope Leo XIV.