article: Until 13 March, he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires. Analysts did not see him as a favourite for the job of succeeding Benedict XVI, and his advanced age - at 76, he is just two years younger than Benedict at the time of his election in 2005 - may have surprised those expecting a younger man as the 266th Pope. However he appeals to both Church conservatives and reformers, being seen as orthodox on sexual matters, for instance, but liberal on social justice - though far from being a "liberation theologist". He was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires, of Italian descent. According to his official Vatican biography, he was ordained as a Jesuit in 1969 and went on to study in Argentina and Germany. As a young man he had a lung removed because of an infection, but his health is currently said to be good. He became a bishop in 1992 and Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. At the 2005 conclave, he was seen as a contender for the papacy. His election took many by surprise in his home city, where many had thought his age ruled him out, says the BBC's Marcia Carmo in Buenos Aires. But any surprise soon gave way to the jubilant blaring of car horns on the streets. As Cardinal Bergoglio, his sermons always had an impact in Argentina and he often stressed social inclusion, indirectly criticising governments that did not pay attention to those on the margins of society, our correspondent says. Francesca Ambrogetti, who co-authored a biography of him, told Reuters news agency that part of his public appeal lay in his "sober and austere" humble lifestyle. In Buenos Aires, he lived in a simple flat. When in Rome, he often preferred to keep his black robe on and is also said to have re-used the cardinal's vest used by his predecessor. On the morning after his election, BBC Rome correspondent David Willey reported, the new Pope slipped out of Vatican City in a motorcade of unmarked vehicles to pray in a Roman Basilica. On the way back to the Vatican, he insisted on settling his bill at a hotel for clergy in the centre of the Italian capital, where he had been staying until the Conclave began on Monday. For the Church establishment, it is a novelty to have a Jesuit in charge - members are supposed to avoid ecclesiastical honours and serve the Pope himself. As a Jesuit, he is a member of perhaps the most powerful and experienced religious order of the Catholic Church, who are known as expert communicators, writes David Willey. It appears that few who know him doubt his conservative credentials. This is how Monsignor Osvaldo Musto, who was at seminary with him, described him in a BBC News article back in 2005: "He's as uncompromising as Pope John Paul II, in terms of the principles of the Church - everything it has defended regarding euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion, the right to life, human rights, celibacy of priests." His views
summary: Born in Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Latin American - and the first Jesuit - to lead the Roman Catholic Church.