In 2013, following the shock resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, a little-known cardinal from Argentina was elected pope. Jorge Bergoglio became the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first pope from the southern hemisphere, and the first non-European pope in over one thousand years. But what is the background of this extraordinary man? And how did he go from Argentinian nightclub bouncer to Pope Francis, the leader of one of the most widely-practiced religions in the world? The Pope looks at his remarkable story, and how, as Pope Francis, he has become such a popular and widely celebrated leader. His humility and his concern for the poor are examined, along with his views on the issues facing the Catholic Church. The Catholic faith, and the role it plays in the lives of people around the world, is explained, as is the church's place in the twenty-first century. Some of the more complex terms and processes of the church, for example the way in which a pope is elected, are explained in separate boxes on each spread. +
