Return to site

Pope Francis – A Life of Service to the Church

Bradley DiTeresi

broken image

A real estate developer, Bradley DiTeresi is a partner at Peru-based Casas Hof Constructora e Inmobiliaria. A devout Catholic, Bradley DiTeresi enjoys reading books written by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936. He graduated high school with a chemical technician’s diploma before proceeding to the novitiate of the Society of Jesus to commence his journey into the priesthood. He moved to Chile to study humanities and then returned to his home country to study philosophy at the Colegio de San Jose. After graduating in 1963, he taught psychology and literature at various institutions before returning to the Colegio of San Jose in 1967 to study theology.

In 1969, Pope Francis was ordained into priesthood by Archbishop Ramon Jose Castellano. In the following years, he held positions as a professor of theology at Villa Barilari, San Miguel, and consultant to the Jesuits. In 1973, he was appointed Provincial of the Jesuits in Argentina, where he served until 1979 before returning to San Miguel to lead parish faithful.

Bergoglio completed his doctoral thesis in Germany in 1986. He was named titular bishop of Auca in 1992, archbishop in 1998, and cardinal in 2001. He was elected Pope Francis in March 2013, succeeding Pope Benedict XVI to become the 266th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church. He has written numerous books, including On Heaven and Earth, The Joy of the Gospel, and The Name of God is Mercy.