Pope Francis died earlier this week, at the age of 88. Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Pope was a memorable figure in the Catholic Church, becoming the first Latin American Pope and cultivating an assortment of interests that included soccer and tango, two staples of Argentine culture.
His education and career
A lot of the information that's available on Pope Francis is found in his memoir, "Hope," where he discusses his family life and his interests. When it comes to his education, the Pope was always invested in religion, philosophy, and chemistry, acquiring a degree in the latter. He also acquired a degree in Philosophy in 1963. In 1960, the Pope became a priest, working with the religious order of the Jesuits in Argentina.
He became an archbishop in 1998 and later on became a cardinal under the tutelage of John Paul II.
The Pope's love of soccer
Like many Argentines, the Pope was a fan of soccer. He had a membership to the soccer club San Lorenzo de Almagro and watched every game of the team that he could.
His nephew, Felipe Bergoglio, made a career out of his family's love of soccer. He now plays for the defense of the Italian team Castiglione 1919.
He deeply loved the arts
From a young age, the Pope revealed that he loved the tango, a genre of dance and music that originates from Argentina. He revealed that he loved to dance the tango when he was young, even though in recent years his feet had turned to "lead" and he couldn't do it anymore. He was a fan of Carlos Gardel, one of the biggest figures within the tango genre.
Pope Francis was also a fan of poetry, music, cinema, and paintings. Some of his favorite pieces of art include Marc Chagall's painting "White Crucifixion," the Federico Fellini film "La Strada," and music composed by Mozart, Wagner, Bach, and Beethoven.