First pope from outside Europe since 8th century
Charityplayeda blinderforalieu
Pope Francis, or Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina
He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and from 1973 to 1979 was Argentina’s provincial superior of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
He became the archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998 and was created a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II, leading the Argentine Church during the December 2001 riots in the country
Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28, 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on March 13, and he chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi
His election made him the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern hemisphere, and the first pope from outside Europe since the Syrian Gregory III, who reigned in the 8th century
Throughout his public life, Pope Francis has been noted for his humility, emphasis on God’s mercy, international visibility as pope, concern for the poor and commitment to interfaith dialogue
He is credited with having a less formal approach to the papacy than his predecessors, for instance choosing to reside in the Domus Sanctae Marthae guest house rather than in the papal apartments of the Apostolic Palace used by previous popes, and he maintains that the church should be more open and welcoming.
A young boy who was born with no ears last year received the gift of hearing thanks to Lanarkshire charity Project Gambia: People Feeding People.
Mohammed Cham, also known as Alieu, was brought to Scotland to undergo a life-changing operation at University Hospital Monklands.
And following the surgery, whereby NHS Lanarkshire surgeon
Arunachalam Iyer and his team fitted Alieu with an Oticon bone hearing aid system, all indications are that the procedure has been a success.
Alieu is a big Celtic fan and met some of the players after he was invited on to the pitch at Celtic Park to receive a standing ovation.
And the youngster thanked Advertiser readers and everyone in Lanarkshire for their support (below).