On March 13, 2013, a massive event took place within the Catholic Church – the first ever South American Pope, and the first from outside of Europe since the 8th century, was elected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who had resigned earlier.

This came as a shock to many – as respectable as he was, Pope Francis, who is actually called Jorge Mario Bergoglio – was something of a humble and less rigid figure, even considered a progressive by many. He had worked as a bouncer at a club in his youth, gotten involved in political controversies in native Argentina, he… he was different. And still is.

In the 34th episode of our Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we cover the story of Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and discover more of how this interesting individual came to represent the head of the largest Christian church on Earth and one of the most powerful institutions on the planet.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1071