Jorge Bergoglio: The San Lorenzo Fanatic Who Became Pope Francis

Pope Francis has never hidden his passion for soccer and his love for the colors of San Lorenzo de Almagro

Since February 14, when he was admitted to the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, Pope Francis' health had been extremely delicate due to bilateral pneumonia. This morning, just hours after appearing on the Vatican balcony to offer the Urbi et Orbi Blessing, Easter Monday dawned with the news of the death of Jorge Bergoglio: the San Lorenzo fan… who went on to become Pope Francis.

Pope Francis' Love for San Lorenzo

Pope Francis will always be remembered as the first Supreme Pontiff born in Latin America—specifically, on December 17, 1936, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. During his childhood, even though he admitted he wasn’t the best among his group of friends, Jorge Bergoglio spent hours playing soccer with a rag ball on the fields of the Flores neighborhood in Buenos Aires.

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“I always loved playing soccer, even if I wasn’t very good. In Buenos Aires, people like me were called 'pata dura'. That’s like having two left feet. But I played. I was often the goalkeeper,” he recalled in his autobiography ‘Esperanza’, written by Italian journalist Carlo Musso, based on many conversations he had with Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’ ‘Miracle’ with San Lorenzo

Born in Buenos Aires, most of his friends were fans of Boca Juniors or River Plate. Some also supported Racing or Independiente. But Jorge Bergoglio, who always showed kindness toward minorities, became member number 88,235 N-0 of San Lorenzo. In fact, during his time as Cardinal of Buenos Aires, every April 1 he would celebrate a Mass in the chapel located in the Ciudad Deportiva de Bajo Flores to mark the club’s anniversary.

On March 13, 2013, Jorge Bergoglio succeeded Pope Benedict XVI, taking the name Francis… and it didn’t take long for him to perform his first ‘miracle’ in favor of his beloved San Lorenzo, which just months later avoided relegation to Second Division and went on to win the Copa Libertadores in 2014. In Argentina, this ‘miracle’ was dubbed the ‘Francis Effect,‘ and he even told a journalist, “ever since they put my face on the jersey, they’ve been winning everything.”