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Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Pope Francis died on Monday 21 April 2025
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis) died early this morning, Monday 21 April 2025, aged eighty-eight. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 17 December 1936, the world's first South American leader of the Roman Catholic Church came from a background which included previous roles as a floor sweeper, a nightclub bouncer, a food chemist, a teacher of literature and psychology and a jesuit priest. He was known for his humanity, simple lifestyle, for being a modern leader, helping the poor and the environment, political diplomacy, bringing change to the Vatican and appointing South-American cardinals.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis,
1936-2025) as a child
As a classical music enthusiast, his taste could be seen as rather traditional - J S Bach and Mozart. He owned a large library of recordings, which also showed his early love of tango dancing and his appreciation of Astor Piazzolla's nuevo tango. His enthusiasm for opera and classical music developed from listening to opera radio broadcasts as a child, with his mother.
In 2022 he made a surprise visit to bless Rome's recently renovated StereoSound record shop. He had become friends with the shop's owners during his visits to Rome (as Archbishop of Buenos Aires) to buy classical CDs.
His final message yesterday, on Easter Sunday, read by an aide, spoke of the need to respect the views of other people, and he stated that 'There can be no peace without freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression'.
Posted 21 March 2025 by Keith Bramich
