March 13, 2013: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is elected the 266th pope of the Catholic Church. He chooses the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and keeps his episcopal motto Miserando atque eligendo, meaning “He looked upon him with mercy and chose him,” a reference to the calling of St. Matthew.
July 5, 2013: The first encyclical of the pontificate, Lumen Fidei, is published. Though signed by Francis, it was largely written by his predecessor Benedict XVI. It addresses the theological virtue of faith in the context of the Year of Faith.
July 9, 2013: On his first trip outside Rome, Pope Francis visits the Italian island of Lampedusaand denounces the “globalization of indifference” to the plight of migrants. On April 16, 2016, he visits Lesbos and returns to Italy with 12 refugees. Migration remains a key concern for the pope, himself the son of Italian immigrants to Argentina.
July 22, 2013: The pope travels to Brazil for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro. On the flight back to Rome, he famously responds to a question about homosexuality with: “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord with good will, who am I to judge?”
November 24, 2013: Pope Francis signs his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), urging a pastoral conversion and calling all baptized Catholics to bring the Gospel to today’s world.
May 24–26, 2014: Pope Francis makes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, reaffirming the Holy See’s support for a two-state solution. On June 8, he hosts the Palestinian and Israeli presidents at the Vatican for a “prayer for peace.”
October 5–19, 2014 & October 2015: Two synods on the family are held. During the second, he beatifies the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Louis and Zélie Martin. These lead to the 2016 exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which sparks debate on Communion for remarried divorcees.
December 22, 2014: In a sharp address to the Roman Curia, the pope denounces “15 spiritual diseases,” including “spiritual Alzheimer’s,” gloominess, gossip, and vanity.
June 16, 2015: Laudato Si’, his landmark ecological encyclical, is published—an appeal for an “ecological conversion” and care for “our common home.”
December 8, 2015: He opens the Holy Door for the Jubilee of Mercy and sends out “missionaries of mercy” with special faculties for absolution. The pope later makes some faculties permanent and institutes a World Day of the Poor.
February 12, 2016: In Havana, Francis meets the Patriarch of Moscow for the first time in history, signing a joint declaration urging action to protect persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
March 24, 2017: Addressing EU leaders on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, he urges Europe toward renewal, echoing past speeches in Strasbourg (2015) and when receiving the Charlemagne Prize (2016).
April 28–29, 2017: He visits Egypt, restoring ties with Al-Azhar University and participating in a peace conference. Later that year, he travels to Fatima (Portugal), Colombia, Myanmar, and Bangladesh.
April 8, 2018: Francis admits grave error in assessing Chile’s abuse crisis, having previously defended Bishop Juan Barros. After reviewing an investigation, he expresses sorrow for “crucified lives.”
April 9, 2018: The exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and Be Glad) is released, a call to holiness in the modern world written in accessible language.
August 20, 2018: In a letter to the “People of God,” the pope reaffirms the Church’s commitment to protecting minors and vulnerable adults and calls for a global, communal response.
October 3–28, 2018: A synod on youth, faith, and vocational discernment is held in Rome, addressing topics such as the digital age, migration, and sexuality.
February 3–5, 2019: In Abu Dhabi, Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar sign the Document on Human Fraternity. It becomes a cornerstone of interreligious dialogue.
February 21–24, 2019: The Vatican hosts a global summit on sexual abuse. The pope later issues Vos Estis Lux Mundi, establishing mandatory reporting procedures.
April 11, 2019: Francis kneels and kisses the feet of South Sudanese leaders, begging them to pursue peace.
October 6–27, 2019: A synod on the Amazon explores ecological and pastoral challenges. Proposals include married priests and discussion of a female diaconate.
February 12, 2020: The exhortation Querida Amazonia outlines four dreams (social, cultural, ecological, ecclesial) but does not endorse married priests or women deacons.
March 27, 2020: Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the pope prays alone in a rainy, empty St. Peter’s Square, offering an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing.
September 24, 2020: Cardinal Angelo Becciu resigns under financial misconduct suspicion. Francis intensifies financial reform.
October 4, 2020: Fratelli Tutti is published, promoting fraternity and social friendship, inspired by the Abu Dhabi encounter.
November 10, 2020: A Vatican report on ex-Cardinal McCarrick reveals failures by Church leaders, including John Paul II.
March 5–8, 2021: Francis visits Iraq, meeting with Christians, praying in Mosul, and holding interfaith dialogue in Ur with Ayatollah al-Sistani.
July 4, 2021: Francis undergoes colon surgery and remains hospitalized for 10 days.
July 16, 2021: Traditionis Custodes restricts the Latin Mass, revoking broader permissions granted in 2007.
October 10, 2021: The Synod on Synodality is launched, seeking a more participatory, less clerical Church. It includes input from dioceses worldwide.
February 25, 2022: Francis visits the Russian embassy in Rome to express concern after the invasion of Ukraine, followed by numerous peace appeals.
March 19, 2022: Praedicate Evangelium, a new constitution reforming the Roman Curia, is released. It allows laypeople, including women, to lead dicasteries.
May 5, 2022: The pope appears in a wheelchair due to knee pain, leading to canceled trips.
July 25, 2022: In a penitential trip to Canada, Francis apologizes to Indigenous peoples for Church-run residential schools.
January 5, 2023: He presides over Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral.
January 31–February 5, 2023: He visits the DRC and South Sudan, advocating peace and meeting war victims.
March 29–April 1, 2023: Hospitalized for pneumonia, he is later readmitted in June for hernia surgery. Upon leaving, he jokes, “Still alive!”
October 4, 2023: Opens the first Synod assembly in Rome, with lay and female voting rights for the first time. Publishes Laudate Deum, a climate-focused follow-up to Laudato Si’.
December 16, 2023: Nine people, including Cardinal Becciu, are convicted in the Vatican’s London property trial. Becciu receives a 5.5-year sentence.
December 18, 2023: Fiducia Supplicans permits pastoral blessings for same-sex couples, sparking global controversy and prompting Vatican clarification.
April 3, 2024: In a book interview, Francis reflects on his bond with Benedict XVI and says his own funeral will follow a simple rite. His grave is already prepared at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.
September 2–13, 2024: Embarks on record-breaking Asian-Pacific trip. In Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, he promotes peace, interreligious harmony, and respect for migrants.
September 26–29, 2024: Travels to Luxembourg and Belgium. Criticized for his stance on women and abortion, he meets abuse victims and announces the beatification cause of King Baudouin.
October 2–27, 2024: Presides over the final Synod session. Though meant to conclude the process, several working groups will continue into 2025. Francis signs the final document, making it part of his magisterium.
January 6, 2025: Appoints Sister Simona Brambilla the first female prefect of a Curial dicastery. Days later, Sister Raffaella Petrini is named head of the Vatican City administration.
March 23, 2025: After 38 days in the hospital with pneumonia and a polymicrobial infection, Francis returns to the Vatican. Doctors later confirm his condition was life-threatening.
April 21, 2025: Pope Francis dies.
