Pope Francis Set A Number Of Records - A Look At His Legacy In Stats

Pope Francis, who died today at the age of 88, was known as the "People's Pope". He was the first from Latin America to rise to the papacy. His legacy as the Pope, which set many records, lasted over a decade, during which he visited several nations to spread the message of peace and compassion.

Here are some statistics about Pope Francis' legacy:

ELECTION, TENURE AND RECORD

Before being elected as the first Pope from Latin America on March 13, 2013, former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina became the first pontiff to take the name Francis. He became the 266th Pope. His tenure as Pope lasted 12 years and 1 month, surpassing the 7.5 year average tenure of his 265 predecessors. During his papacy, he became the second-oldest Pope in history - the longest being Pope Leo XIII, who was 93 when he died in 1903. Pope Benedict XVI, who Pope Francis succeeded in 2013, had lived to the age of 95, but had retired from the papacy when he was 85.

CARDINALS APPOINTED

During his twelve-year term, Pope Francis appointed as many as 109 Cardinals who are now eligible to vote for the next Pope. Currently, of the total 252 Cardinals - the red-hatted "princes of the Church" - 135 are below the age of 80, and are therefore eligible under Church law to enter a conclave to elect the next pope. Those who are eligible to vote are known as Cardinal electors.

Besides electing the next Pope, Cardinals advise the Pope during their tenure, run major dioceses around the world, and often lead powerful departments within the Vatican bureaucracy.

GLOBAL VISITS

Pope Francis travelled far and wide to spread the message of peace and compassion. He travelled outside of Italy 47 times, during which he visited more than 65 countries - nearly a third of third of all nations globally. His international visits account for more than 465,000 km over 12 years.

Here is a timeline of Pope Francis' foreign visits:

1. In 2013, Pope Francis visited Brazil
2. In 2014, Pope Francis visited Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Israel, South Korea, Albania, France, Turkey.
3. In 2015, Pope Francis visited Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Cuba, the United States, Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic.
4. In 2016, Pope Francis visited Mexico, Greece, Armenia, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Sweden.
5. In 2017, Pope Francis went to Egypt, Portugal, Colombia, Myanmar, Bangladesh.
6. In 2018, Pope Francis travelled to Chile, Peru, Switzerland, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia.
7. In 2019, Pope Francis he was in Panama, United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Romania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Thailand, Japan.
8. In 2020, Pope Francis made no foreign trips due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions.
9. In 2021, Pope Francis visited Iraq, Slovakia, Hungary, Greece and Cyprus.
10. In 2022, Pope Francis went to Malta, Canada, Kazakhstan, Bahrain.
11. In 2023, Pope Francis travelled to Congo, South Sudan, Hungary, Portugal, Mongolia, France.
12. In 2024, Pope Francis visited Indonesia, Singapore, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Belgium, Luxembourg and the French island of Corsica.
13. Within Italy, Pope Francis made 37 trips, among which his first visit, in July 2013, was to the island of Lampedusa, a landing point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean en route to Europe.

RECORD NUMBER OF SAINTS

Pope Francis canonised more than 900 new Saints globally, some posthumously. Among those who were given sainthood by Pope Francis, were former popes John XXIII, John Paul II and Paul VI.

Some others who were given sainthood posthumously, were Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who died in 1997 and Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed in 1980. It also includes includes the Martyrs of Otranto, residents of a southern Italian city slain by Ottoman troops in 1480. The Vatican says they numbered about 800.

At over 900, he set the record for canonising the maximum number of saints - the previous record being that of Pope John Paul II, who canonised a total of 483 Saints during his 26-year pontificate.

Pope Francis also beatified more than 1,350 people. Beatification is the last step before sainthood.

ENCYCLICALS

An encyclical is the most important form of papal document. Pope Francis wrote four.

1. IMPORTANCE OF CATHOLICISM - His first encyclical was in 2013 - with "Lumen Fidei" (Light of Faith) on the importance of Christian faith, partly written by his predecessor Pope Benedict.
2. URGENCY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE - In 2015, he released "Laudato Si" (Praised Be), which called for urgent action on climate change. He updated this work in 2023, with an Apostolic Exhortation, Laudate Deum (Praise God), where he appealed to climate change deniers and foot-dragging politicians to have a change of heart.
3. POST-PANDEMIC WORLD - In 2020, his Fratelli Tutti (Brothers All) tackled the issue of solidarity among people in the post-pandemic world.
4. FAITH OVER MONEY AND MATERIAL - In 2024, his Dilexit Nos (He Loved Us) urged Catholics to abandon the "mad pursuit" of money and instead devote themselves to their faith.

He also wrote numerous other major documents, such as Apostolic Constitutions and Apostolic Exhortations.