( CNN ) -- Pope Francis is a first in many ways . He 's the first Latin American pontiff ; the first Jesuit ; the first Francis -- and the first non-European in 1,272 years . The last time someone from outside Europe led the Roman Catholic Church was the year 741 . That 's when Pope Gregory III , born in Syria , ended his 10-year reign . Before him , there were popes from Bethlehem ( St. Evaristus , from 97 to 105 ) , Jerusalem ( Pope Theodore I , from 642 to 649 ) and modern-day Libya ( Saint Victor I , from 189 to 199 ) . And , of course , the church counts Peter , disciple of Jesus from the Holy Land , as the first pope . Several other Syrians have also served as pontiff . The majority of popes have been Italian . Over the centuries , the length of reign has varied widely . Pope Pius IX reigned the longest , more than 31 years , from 1846 to 1878 . See the longest-reigning popes . The record for shortest reign goes to Pope Urban VII , who served for 13 days in 1590 . See the shortest-reigning popes .
It was 741 when someone from outside Europe last led the Roman Catholic Church . That 's when Pope Gregory III , born in Syria , ended his 10-year reign . That 's just one of several unusual things about the new Pope Francis .