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Francis: elected pope following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio took the name Francis as his papacy began on March 13, 2013. The first pontiff from the New World and the first from the Order of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), the current reign of Pope Francis has been tumultuous and somewhat controversial as he has attempted to strengthen and expand the Church while navigating the myriad changes taking place around the world. He has been a strong advocate for the environment, migration and immigration, and a change in the Church to a more “synodal” or “democratic” structure, a stance that has met with stiff opposition from traditional Catholics. Despite being of advanced age and in declining health, he continues to travel and advocate his message internationally.
 
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Beginning of the Pontificate of Pope Francis Scott 1523-1526 (2013)
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SOME OF THE TRAVELS OF POPE FRANCIS (2013 to 2022):
 
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2013: Brazil: First Foreign Trip as Pope (Scott 1579, 2014) 
2014: South Korea (Scott 1601, 2015) 
2015 Travels (Scott 1634, 2016) 
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2016: Poland (Scott 1665, 2017) 
2017 Travels (Scott 1699, 2018) 
2018: Ireland (Scott 1723, 2019) 
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2019 Travels (Scott 1753, 2020) 
2020: Bari/Europe (Scott 1781, 2021) 
2021 Travels (Scott 1811, 2022)
 		 			 			 			 	
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2022 Travels (Scott 1841, 2023)</center>
 
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Pope Francis: Jubilee Year of Mercy 
(Scott 1608, 2015)</center>
 
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Pope Francis: 80th Birthday 
Scott 1636 (2016)</center>
 
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Pope Francis: 50th Anniversary of Ordination 
Scott 1474-1477 (2011)</center>
 
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 Pope Francis: Pontificate of 2024 
Scott 1850-1853 (2024)</center>

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