Exclusive Feature
THE BERGOGLIO FAMILY
HOUSE IN BUENOS AIRESSolis, and that’s where he met
Fr. Pozzoli, who immediately
became his confessor. He
joined the circle of young men
close to Fr. Pozzoli, where he
met Mama’s brothers, and
through them, Mama,” the
Pope explains.
THE WONDER YEARS
Just like many other children in
his district, young Jorge went
to preschool in the Catholic
school, Nuestra Señora de
la Misericordia, located at
avenida Directorio, where he
would undergo preparation for
his First Holy Communion. The
Pope remained particularly
attached to that school: For
as long as he lived in Buenos
Aires, he would pay a visit to
the sisters every March, even
after the death of his teacher,
Sr. Dolores. He would take a
bus there just to chat with the
sisters over tea, and take a stroll
in the schoolyard where he
used to play as a child.
After preschool, Jorge moved
on to primary school. In the
sisters’ institute, though, there
were no all-boys’ classes in
the primary level, so he went
to the public school on No. 8
Colonnello Ingegnere Pedro
Cervino in calle Varela.
Young Jorge naturally did not
spend all day behind his school
desk. He liked to play, and was
especially fond of soccer. He
would spend his free time in the
district park, in the plazoleta
Herminia Brumana, hanging
out and playing with his peers.
Soccer is and will always be
one of the great passions of
Jorge Mario Bergoglio. He is a
great fan (with his ID number
88235) of the red and blue
team of San Lorenzo, the barrio
team of Almagro founded by
Fr. Lorenzo Bartolomè Martin
Massa in 1908. This Salesian
priest, faithful to the teachings
of St. John Bosco, had offered to
the district’s youths the chance
to play in the field of the oratory
of San Antonio (where the
Santo Papa's parents met) in
exchange for their participation
in Mass and catechism.Jorge, together with his father,
used to watch Team San
Lorenzo’s games since he was
very young. They would go to
the Viejo Gasometro stadium,
which was later abandoned
by the team for the more
modern Estadio Bidegain (or
Nuevo Gasometro), nearer
to the Flores district. The
young boy had no inkling that
many years later, in December
2013, he would celebrate the
championship win of San
Lorenzo, and that the team he
loves and supports would honor
him with a commemorative
team shirt with his name and a
halo design.THE BERGOGLIO
FAMILY
Jorge’s childhood was peaceful,
very much like any typical
Italian family in Argentina. His
father worked as an accountant,
while his mother took care of
the children and the house.
Five children were a lot, but
luckily, the grandparents were
there to pitch in. Giovanni and
Rosa Bergoglio lived close by
and always lent a hand to their
daughter-in-law.During the week, the Bergoglios
were busy with school and
work, but on Saturdays and
Sundays they were completely
dedicated to their family life.
The children played cards with
their parents and watched their
father play basketball. They
listened to operas on the radio