Pope Francis

Pope Francis  (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936) is the 266th and current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.  He chose Francis as his papal name in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi.  Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere, and the first non-European pope since the Syrian Gregory III, who died in 741.  Throughout his public life, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, concern for the poor, and commitment to interfaith dialogue.  He is credited with having a humble, less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by his predecessors.  (More from Wikipedia)