A few facts about Roman Catholic Popes and Papacy

LAHORE: Known for his support of refugees and migrants, Pope Francis died at 88 on Monday of double pneumonia.

He was one of the oldest popes ever to die in office. The oldest-ever pope to breathe his last during service was Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903 at 93. He served as the 256th pope for 25 years, according to the Vatican’s official website.

Pope Francis was the 266th Pope since the first Century, when Saint Peter assumed this office as the first pontiff of the Catholic Church.According to the history of Vatican, Saint Peter’s tenure began in 30 AD and lasted till his death sometime between 64 and 68 AD.

The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio Francis was elected pope on March 13, 2013, becoming the first Latin American pope and the first from the Americas.Pope Gregory III, born in modern-day Syria, was the last non-European pope before Pope Francis.

He was a fan of tango and soccer, the first pope to have a Twitter account and had a Chemistry background.According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Forbes, Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church and the Cambridge History of Christianity, the pope is considered one of the world’s most powerful people due to the extensive diplomatic, cultural, and spiritual influence of his position on both 1.3 billion Catholics and those outside the Catholic faith.

He also heads the world’s largest non-government provider of education and health care, with a vast network of charities.From the eighth century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of state of the Papal States, and since 1929 of the much smaller Vatican City state

The youngest pope ever elected was Pope Benedict IX, believed to be around 20 years old. Three popes were under the age of 25.The last was Pope Gregory V, who was 24 when elected in 996.

Pope Pius IX held the longest papacy, spanning from 1846 to 1878, while a few had very short tenures.For example, Pope Urban VII (15–27 September 1590): reigned for 13 calendar days, and died before coronation.

Boniface VI (April 896) reigned for just 16 calendar days.Calestine IV (October 25 to November 10, 1241) reigned for 17 calendar days, and also died before coronation.

Theodore II (December 897) called shots for 20 calendar days and Pope John Paul I’s papacy lasted only 33 days.The oldest pope at the time of election was Pope Gregory XII, who was 81.

Of the 102 popes whose exact age at election is known, Pope Benedict XVI was one of 17 churchmen elected bishop of Rome while between the ages of 71 and 80. He was elected in 2005, just after his 78th birthday

Benedict XVI never had a driver’s license but did have one to fly a helicopter. The last Englishman was Pope Adrian IV in 1154, the last Frenchman elected was Pope Gregory XI, in 1370, the last Greek was Pope Zachary in 741, the last Italian was Pope John Paul I, the last Dutchman was Pope Adrian VI in 1522, the last Palestinian was Pope Theodore in 642, the last Polish was Pope John Paul II in 1978, the last Portuguese was Pope John XXI in 1276, the last Syrian was Pope Gregory III in 731, the last Spaniard was Pope Alexander VI in 1492 and the last German was Pope Benedict XVI, elected in 2005, some 950 years since another German -- Pope Victor II -- had been elected.