Having trailed second in every ballot to Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires triumphed at the fifth ballot to chose his successor, becoming the first ever to ascend to the throne of St Peter from outside Europe
Jorge Mario Bergoglio as a priest in 1973. He was ordained in 1969, spending the next two decades teaching in Jesuit schools and universities
An early 1950's picture released showing Jorge Mario Bergoglio, right, posing with unidentified schoolmates of a preparatory school in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, second from left in back row, with his family
Argentine Cardinal Bergoglio washing the feet of a woman on Holy Thursday. Pope Francis has been a cardinal since 2001 and has won admirers for his humble style of life
Jorge Mario Bergoglio kisses Pope John Paul II after he received the red berretta during the Consistory ceremony in Saint Peter's Square February 21, 2001. Putting one of his final stamps on the group that will elect his successor, the Pope had elevated 44 new cardinals
Like John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Bergoglio regards the Roman Catholic Church's core values as under attack from secular society
Critics have condemned Bargoglio's record of refusing to speak out during the brutal crackdown when some 13,000 to 30,000 people died or disappeared
Argentina's cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio shaking hands with President Cristina Kirchner. When Bergoglio argued that gay adoptions discriminate against children, Mrs Kirchner compared his tone to 'medieval times and the Inquisition'
Pope Francis first challenge will be to end scandals
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio leading a mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Buenos Aires last month. He was installed as the new archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998
