101 Facts About Pope Francis

1. Pope Francis told reporters on his flight that the Catholic Church", shouldn't be scandalized by this", adding that "there are steps in a process", and "we are working on it.

2. Pope Francis stressed there are "little steps" needed diplomatically in Venezuela first to "start the possibility of dialogue" before mediation.

3. Pope Francis told reporters on his flight that the Catholic Church", shouldn't be scandalized by this", adding that "there are steps in a process", and "we are working on it.

4. Pope Francis waved at an enthusiastic crowd carrying Vatican flags and banners as he drove into Zayed Sports City Stadium, where an altar with a large cross was set up for the unprecedented open-air service in a country where worship is normally allowed only inside churches.

5. Pope Francis held a historic public mass for an estimated 170,000 Catholics at an Abu Dhabi stadium on Tuesday on the first ever papal visit to the Muslim Gulf.

6. Pope Francis is the first pontiff to visit the Arabian peninsula, which is the birthplace of Islam, during a three-day visit to Abu Dabi.

7. Pope Francis is reaching out to the margins of the Church by remembering these fellow Catholics who find themselves in a world very different from their native lands.

8. Pope Francis is doing this through his presence for the million Catholics in this Muslim nation.

9. Pope Francis kicked off his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates on Monday, arriving at Abu Dhabi's lavish presidential palace in his trademark understated Kia Soul hatchback.

10. Pope Francis arrived in the Emirati capital late Sunday and was greeted by Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

11. Pope Francis is opening his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates by meeting with the federation's leader and a group of Muslim elders.

12. Pope Francis has arrived at the presidential palace to officially start his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates as canons boomed and a military aircraft flew over trailing the yellow and white smoke of the Holy See flag.

13. Pope Francis has assured the people of the United Arab Emirates of his prayers and "the divine blessings of peace and fraternal solidarity.

14. Pope Francis is making the first-ever trip to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam, in a bid to strengthen ties with the Muslim world.

15. Pope Francis has met with a group of Muslim elders at the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi in what the Vatican says was a "particularly cordial and fraternal" encounter.

16. Pope Francis is visiting the UAE on the first papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.

17. Pope Francis concluded his landmark speech to an interfaith gathering on Monday by saying: "God is with those who seek peace.

18. Pope Francis has asserted in the first-ever papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula that religious leaders have a duty to reject all war and commit themselves to dialogue.

19. Pope Francis continued his historic visit to the United Arab Emirates by meeting with Abu Dhabi's crown prince at the presidential palace on Monday.

20. On February 3, 2019, Pope Francis was the first pontiff to visit the Arabian Peninsula on a trip trying to improve relations with Muslims and to encourage Catholic immigrants in the region.

21. Pope Francis arrived in the capital Abu Dhabi to take part in a conference on inter-religious dialogue.

22. Pope Francis will speak at a giant mass in Abu Dhabi's main sports area on Tuesday, which is expected to be attended by around 135,000 people.

23. Pope Francis will take part in an interfaith conference and on Tuesday hold Mass in which 120,000 people are expected to attend.

24. Pope Francis urged faithful in St Peter's Square to join him in prayer, saying "these are hungry children" with no medicine, and "are in danger of dying.

25. Pope Francis has landed in Abu Dhabi on the first papal trip ever to the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam.

26. Pope Francis met a host of Cabinet ministers in a greeting line, as well as local Catholic and Muslim officials.

27. Pope Francis was speaking before embarking on a historic three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, the first by a pope to the Arabian peninsula.

28. Pope Francis said that, "Faith in God unites and does not divide, it draws us closer despite differences, it distances us from hostilities and aversion.

29. Pope Francis will celebrate an open-air mass in Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City on Tuesday.

30. Pope Francis released a video message last week ahead of his visit.

31. Pope Francis was invited by Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan to take part in an interfaith conference.

32. Pope Francis has made dialogue with Islam one of the cornerstones of his papacy.

33. Pope Francis is expected to meet with the Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayyib, Head of Al Azhar, one of the highest religious authorities in the Muslim world.

34. Pope Francis starts a three-day visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, the first for a leader of the Roman Catholic Church in the Arabian Peninsula.

35. Pope Francis is travelling to Abu Dhabi to participate in a conference on interreligious dialogue sponsored by the Emirates-based Muslim Council of Elders, an initiative that seeks to counter religious fanaticism by promoting a moderate brand of Islam.

36. Pope Francis has condemned the conflict, in which the UAE is involved as part of a Saudi-led coalition.

37. Pope Francis reflected on encounter with the Lord for the 23rd World Day of Consecrated Life, which takes place every year on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.

38. Pope Francis was scheduled to speak publicly twice during the visit at the interreligious event Monday and at the mass on Tuesday.

39. Pope Francis travels to the United Arab Emirates, where he will be the first pope to visit the Arabian Peninsula, known as the cradle of Islam.

40. Pope Francis makes a historic visit to the UAE on Sunday.

41. The Pope Francis is heading to the United Arab Emirates, the first papal visit to the Arabian peninsula.

42. Pope Francis will be using a popemobile to bless the faithful, allowing a large number of faithful seated outside the Zayed Sports City to see him.

43. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

44. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

45. Pope Francis made that appointment official in a news release Thursday.

46. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

47. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

48. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

49. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

50. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

51. Pope Francis is perhaps one of the most well-known figures in the world, and as the leader of the Catholic Church, he is the epitome of goodness and holiness.

52. Pope Francis tackled other political blockades too, bringing together Presidents Raul Castro, of Cuba, and President Barack Obama, of the United States, in a historic meeting that precipitated significant foreign policy changes.

53. Pope Francis implored those involved in the conflict to find a peaceful solution.

54. Pope Francis used his visit to the home to issue a string of appeals, beyond Venezuela.

55. On Saturday, Pope Francis said that true freedom is found in letting go of the superficial.

56. Pope Francis said that couples continue to need "the constant and pastoral care of the Church" after marriage.

57. Pope Francis urged peace during his time in the religiously diverse city, known as the "Jerusalem of Europe".

58. Pope Francis said in a televised news conference, "I read all the speeches of the pope, his commentaries, and if the pope continues this way, I will go back to praying and go back to the [Catholic] church.

59. On 25 August 2018, days after Pope Francis had issued an apology for abuses by clergy in the US.

60. Pope Francis celebrated an ecumenical liturgy together with the president of the Lutheran World Federation Bishop Dr Munib Younan.

61. The Pope Francis visited the 950 year old Lund Cathedral, located in Sweden's southernmost and originally Danish province of Scania.

62. On 31 October 2016, Pope Francis commemorated the 499th anniversary of the Reformation with Lutherans in Sweden.

63. The Pope Francis gave thanks for the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church and the steps they have taken "for the sake of coming to share fully in the Eucharistic banquet.

64. The Pope Francis said, "we are able even now to make visible the communion uniting us.

65. The Pope Francis reflected on the shared ecumenical journey of the two churches since their 18th-century schism over the issue of papal primacy.

66. Pope Francis said, "Sad news has reached us of the persecution of our Rohingya brothers and sisters, a religious minority.

67. Pope Francis condemned the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

68. The Pope Francis loves you like this and you should love yourself and not worry about what people say.

69. Pope Francis spoke out against "Gender Theory", that is the concept that gender identity is not definite and can change, being taught in schools.

70. Pope Francis states that "If, hypothetically, Western Catholicism were to review the issue of celibacy, I think it would do so for cultural reasons, not so much as a universal option.

71. Pope Francis said the church was developing a "zero tolerance" policy on abuse and cover-ups.

72. Pope Francis considers that, although the first witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus were women, their significance was ignored because in Jewish law, only males are credible witnesses.

73. Pope Francis maintained that, in those cases, priests should not refuse to baptize those children.

74. In May 2013, Pope Francis unexpectedly participated in Italy's pro-life march in Rome, asking its participants to protect human life "from the moment of conception".

75. Pope Francis went on to describe social debt as "immoral, unjust, and illegitimate".

76. Pope Francis started a day of student celebrations by going to confession.

77. Pope Francis said the confessional should be used to motivate people to better themselves.

78. Pope Francis told La Civilta Cattolica that the church does not need to speak constantly of the issues of abortion, artificial contraception, and homosexuality.

79. Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor in his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera, issued on 20 November 2016 to celebrate the end of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

80. Pope Francis presided over his fifth consistory for the elevation of 14 new cardinals on 28 June 2018.

81. Pope Francis presided over a fourth consistory for the elevation of 5 new cardinals on the afternoon of 28 June 2017.

82. Pope Francis canonized Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad and Stanislaus Papczynski on 5 June 2016 and then canonized Teresa of Calcutta on 4 September; he canonized seven additional saints on 16 October.

83. Pope Francis approved further equipollent canonizations on 3 April 2014 for the Jesuit Jose de Anchieta as well as the Ursuline nun Marie of the Incarnation and bishop Francois de Laval.

84. Pope Francis established two new Secretariats in the Roman Curia: the Secretariat for the Economy, and the Secretariat for Communications.

85. Pope Francis published his second one, entitled, on 18 June 2015, concerning care for the planet.

86. Pope Francis continued to assert Catholic doctrine, in less dramatic tone than his recent predecessors, who maintained that the Catholic Church is not a democracy of popular opinion.

87. On 31 March 2013, Pope Francis used his first Easter homily to make a plea for peace throughout the world, specifically mentioning the Middle East, Africa, and North and South Korea.

88. Pope Francis abolished the €25,000 annual bonus paid to the cardinals serving on the Board of Supervisors for the Vatican bank.

89. Pope Francis explained that, as it was becoming clear during the conclave voting that he would be elected the new bishop of Rome, the Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes had embraced him and whispered, "Don't forget the poor", which had made Bergoglio think of the saint.

90. Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the presence of various political and religious leaders from around the world.

91. Pope Francis is the first pope since Pope Pius X to live outside the papal apartments.

92. Pope Francis was known to be devoted to St Therese of Lisieux, and he enclosed a small picture of her in the letters he wrote, calling her "a great missionary saint".

93. Pope Francis limited his time in Rome to "lightning visits".

94. Pope Francis took public transportation and cooked his own meals.

95. Pope Francis lived in a small apartment, rather than in the elegant bishop's residence in the suburb of Olivos.

96. Pope Francis was a member of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Congregation for the Clergy, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Pontifical Council for the Family and the Commission for Latin America.

97. Pope Francis was reelected to another three-year term on 11 November 2008.

98. Pope Francis chose as his episcopal motto Miserando atque eligendo.

99. Pope Francis spent several months at the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology in Frankfurt, Germany, considering possible dissertation topics.

100. Pope Francis was removed as rector by the Jesuit superior-general Peter Hans Kolvenbach because Bergoglio's policy of educating the young Jesuits in direct pastoral work and in popular religiosity was opposed to the worldwide trend in the Society of Jesus of emphasizing social justice based on sociological analysis, especially promoted by the Centro de Investigaciones y Accion Social.

101. Pope Francis made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1973, shortly after being named provincial superior, but his stay was shortened by the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War.