His family migrated from northern Italy to Argentina, and he was their son.
Before he was led to the priesthood by a fortuitous meeting with an unidentified priest, he trained as an industrial chemist because he was adamant about being a man of science.
He danced the tango, went out with girls, and even had a brief job as a nightclub bouncer before being ordained in 1969.
“I love tango and I used to dance when I was young,” Bergoglio said to authors Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin in a 2010 biography.
“She was one of a group of friends I went dancing with,” he said, referring to the female friend with whom he used to share this love of tango. However, I later found my calling in religion.
