Pope Francis – a life in pictures (2025)

Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1948

An undated photo of Jorge Mario Bergoglio (top row, second from left) with his family in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His sister Maria Elena is first left

Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1966 at the El Salvador school where he taught literature and psychology in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Jorge Mario Bergoglio on the Buenos Aires underground in 2008

Pope John Paul II, left, embraces Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio on the day Bergoglio was elevated to cardinal in Vatican City in 2001

Pope Francis on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica after being elected the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic church in 2013

Pope Francis prays in front of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, in the Old City of Jerusalem in May 2014

The faithful greet Pope Francis on his arrival for the sixth Asian Youth Day in August 2014

Pope Francis plays with a basketball during the Italian Catholic Sports Centre 70th anniversary celebrations in 2014 in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican

Pope Francis receives a sombrero from the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, during the World Meeting of Popular Movements in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in 2015. The word ‘Tahuichi’ is from the Tupi-Guarani language and means ‘big bird’

President Barack Obama bids farewell to Pope Francis after their meeting at the White House in 2015

Pope Francis performs the foot-washing ritual at the Castelnuovo di Porto refugee centre near Rome in 2016

Pope Francis lies on the floor during the Good Friday mass at St Peter’s Basilica in 2016

Pope Francis visits the Auschwitz-Birkenau second world war-era Nazi death camp in 2016

Pope Francis meets migrants at the Moria detention centre in Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece in 2016

Pope Francis drinks maté while arriving for his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square in 2016

Pope Francis takes part in a video conference with the International Space Station from the Vatican in 2017

Pope Francis during the Urbi et Orbi blessing for Rome and the world from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica after the Easter Sunday mass in 2017

Pope Francis talks to journalists during a press conference on his return flight from Cairo to Rome in 2017

Pope Francis kisses a figure of the Christ child as he arrives to celebrate the Epiphany mass in 2020 at St Peter’s Basilica

Pope Francis greets Mattia Villardita, who entertains children in the paediatric wards of hospitals, during his general audience in the courtyard of San Damaso in 2021 in Vatican City

Pope Francis meets the president of Mongolia, Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, in a ger set up inside the state palace of Ulaanbaatar in 2023. The Vatican said the trip was the pope’s 43rd apostolic journey abroad and Mongolia was the 61st country he had visited as Pope

Pope Francis greets nuns during his weekly audience at the Paul VI hall in Vatican City in 2024

Pope Francis celebrates mass for the conclusion of the 50th Catholic social week in Trieste, Italy in 2024

Pope Francis poses with priests for a selfie in 2024 during his weekly audience at the Paul VI hall in Vatican City

Pope Francis holds the pastoral staff as he takes mass during the Jubilee of the World of Communications at St Peter’s Basilica on 26 January 2025

Pope Francis meets the US vice-president, JD Vance, during an audience at Casa Santa Marta on 20 April 2025 in Vatican City

After the Easter Sunday mass, Pope Francis delivers his Easter message and blessing from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica on 20 April 2025