SINGAPORE - On Sept 2, the head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, started a 12-day trip across South-east Asia, visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore.

In Singapore, he is expected to meet members of the Society of Jesus, celebrate mass at the National Stadium and visit a nursing home for the elderly and aged sick, as well as Catholic Junior College.

In anticipation of his arrival in the Republic on Sept 11, here are some things you may not know about the 87-year-old pope.

1. He chose the papal name Francis for himself, in honour of a saint

He is widely known as Pope Francis, but the Argentinian’s birth name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio. The son of Italian immigrants, his father was an accountant, while his mother was a housewife.

When he was elected as the new pope in 2013, he chose the name Francis in honour of St Francis of Assisi.

A Vatican spokesman then said the pope was honouring “a saint that transcends the Catholic Church as is loved by all people, a saint who reached out for simplicity... poverty and care for the poor”.

2. He is the first Latin American pope

The Church’s top job had been filled by Europeans for more than 1,200 years, before Pope Francis was elected in 2013 – the first pope to hail from a Latin American country.

His appointment was seen as recognition of the Church’s growth in Latin America, which was then home to around 40 per cent of the world’s Catholics.

The previous non-European pope, Pope Gregory III from Syria, held the role of pontiff for 10 years from the year 731.

3. He is the first Jesuit pope

Apart from being the first Latin American pope and the first pope to take the name Francis, he is also the first Jesuit to be appointed pope.

The Jesuits, also known as the Society of Jesus, is a Roman Catholic all-male order of priests and brothers founded by Ignatius Loyola in the 1500s. It is one of many institutions within the Catholic Church.

According to the society’s website, they take four vows – of poverty, chastity, obedience, and a fourth vow of obedience to the Pope specifically in regard to worldwide mission. The last vow means they must be ready to accept any mission the pope requires, reflecting a dedication to the universal church and the greater good.

Jesuits are well known for their contributions to the fields of education, missionary work and theology. They have founded thousands of schools across the globe, including Boston College and Georgetown University in the US.

4. He was a club bouncer and chemist

Long before he assumed the role of pope, Pope Francis worked as a club bouncer when he was a college student in Buenos Aires.

During a 2013 visit to a church in Rome, he told parishioners that his other career stints included sweeping floors, working in a chemistry lab and teaching literature and psychology.

5. He is a keen football fan

Having been born and raised in Argentina, it probably comes as no surprise that the pontiff is a keen football fan. He is reportedly a supporter of Argentinian football team San Lorenzo de Almagro.

In his years as pope, he has hosted various teams and players at Vatican City, including Italian Serie A team Juventus in 2013 and German Bundesliga team FC Bayern Munich in 2014.

The Catholic News Agency reported that during a 2021 meeting with Italian team Sampdoria, he said: “The most beautiful victories are those you win as a team.”

“At home, if a footballer plays only for himself, we say ‘he eats the ball’, he takes the ball for himself and does not look at others. No. Always as a team,” he added.

6. He had part of his lung removed

In his early 20s, the pope contracted a respiratory infection that left doctors with no choice but to remove one part of his lung, according to the Associated Press.

A Vatican official in 2013 said that this “had never been an obstacle either in his rhythm or for his work, his life, or his pastoral care, as demonstrated by leading a diocese that requires such dedication as that of Buenos Aires”.

He suffered from a bout of lung inflammation and breathing difficulties in November 2023, according to a Vatican statement, adding then that he was on antibiotics. In January 2024, he said he was unable to complete a speech at the Vatican due to “a touch of bronchitis”.

7. He wore an $84 Swatch watch, which was auctioned off for charity

The pope has been spotted wearing a Swatch Once Again watch on his wrist on several occasions.

In a letter sent in May 2022, Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, shared with the pope about Brian LaViolette – an avid watch collector who died at the age of 15 in a swimming accident.

Bishop Ricken asked if the pope could donate one of his watches to be auctioned off by the Brian LaViolette Foundation, a charity that offers scholarships for students to attend college.

The pope obliged and donated his Swatch watch, which was later reportedly auctioned off for US$56,250 (S$73,000). A check on Swatch’s website shows that the watch currently retails for S$84.

8. He is a man of simplicity

Before he became the pope, he was known to have lived simply – he took the bus to work, cooked his own meals and visited people living in the slums in Argentina.

Being elected the pope did not stop him from retaining his preference for simplicity. On the night after he was elected pope in 2013, a Vatican spokesman said the then 76-year-old pope decided against being chauffeured in a bulletproof Mercedes limousine, the usual mode of transport for the pontiff. Instead, Pope Francis rode in a minibus with the other cardinals.

He also chose not to stay in the Apostolic Palace where his predecessors usually lived, and opted to live in a Vatican guesthouse, according to a Reuters report.