When is the Anniversary of the election of Pope Francis?
On March 13th, his Holiness Pope Francis marks the anniversary of his election by the papal conclave as Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church in 2013.
The anniversary of the current Pope's election is a public holiday in Vatican City.
History of the Anniversary of the Election of Pope Francis
Pope Francis is the 266th Pope and replaced Pope Benedict XVI who had been pope since 2005 but had unexpectedly resigned on February 28th 2013.
Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1936. Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technologist and nightclub bouncer before turning to the church.
He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1969 and became the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998. He was made a cardinal in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.
Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI on February 28th 2013, a papal conclave elected Bergoglio as his successor on March 13th.
He chose Francis as his papal name in honour of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere.
Another public holiday is observed in the Holy See to mark the name saint of the current pope. As George ('Jorge') is his birth name, Saint George's Day on April 23rd is a holiday.
