CHAPTER 1

THE LANGUAGE OFHIS MEMORIES

A FAMILY OF ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS

When I was thirteen months old, my motherhad my second brother; there are five childrenin all. My grandparents lived nearby, andto help my mother out, my grandmotherwould come get me in the morning, takeme to her house, and bring me back in theafternoon. They spoke Piedmontese to eachother, and I learned it. They loved all mysiblings, of course, but I had the privilege ofentering the language of their memories.

The story begins in 1934, in the Salesian prayer chapelof San Antonio, in the neighborhood of Almagro in BuenosAires. A young man of Italian origin named Mario JoséBergoglio and a young woman named Regina Maria Sivori,also of Italian background, stole secret glances at each otherwhile the priest celebrated mass. In something of a premonition,one year later the couple married and started what wouldeventually become a family of five children, the oldest of whomwould become the future Pope Francis.

Mario José Bergoglio came from a well-to-do family inPiedmont, Italy. His father ran a candy store in Portacomaro,in northern Italy. Europe was still trying to heal from WorldWar I, and a devastating economic crisis was about to hitaround the world.

Toward the end of 1928, the Bergoglios boarded the shipGiulio Cesare, and one hot morning in January 1929, theyfinally glimpsed the port of Buenos Aires. Jorge Mario's grandfatherwas hoping to reunite with his three brothers who hadbeen running a pavement business in Paraná since 1922.

Their beginnings in Argentina could not have been morepromising. The recently arrived family settled in the Bergogliopalace, a luxurious four-story residence with the only elevatorin the city. The immigrant family lived on one of the floors andbegan working in the family business.

The crisis of 1929 was slow to hit the prosperous Argentina,but in 1932, the Bergoglios had to sell the family home. Oneof the brothers went to Brazil to seek his fortune; anotherdied of cancer, and while Jorge Mario's grandfather tried tostay afloat, his father had to seek work elsewhere. He wasfinally able to find a job with a new business and worked asan accountant for the company.

A PEACEFUL LIFE

Jorge Mario Bergoglio did not live through those years of crisis,but a new specter was beginning to emerge on the internationalscene: Nazism. Bergoglio was born in 1936, when itseemed as if the world was gradually recovering from the GreatDepression.

Jorge Mario's family was modest and never faced greathardships. His grandmother, of whom he has fond memories,instilled the Piedmontese spirit of the family into her grandson,tying the immigrant child to his Italian roots. His fathertook all the children to watch him play basketball in the clubof San Lorenzo. Both his parents played cards with the fivechildren, and his mother cultivated their interest in opera.On Saturday afternoons they all would listen to public radio,and Regina would float away with the music as her childrenwatched, entranced.

Jorge Mario's father also cooked. As a result of complicationsin the delivery of her fifth child, Regina suffered froma degree of paralysis, so Mario José had to prepare the food.While his wife gave him instructions on how to cook theirdelicious Italian meals, the children paid close attention to therecipes, and eventually everyone learned to cook a few dishes.

Jorge Mario even became something of a chef when he lived atthe Máximo school of San Miguel and cooked every Sundayfor the students.

Though the Bergoglio family enjoyed a comfortable lifewithout economic hardship, Mario José thought it best for hisoldest son to learn the value of hard work and sacrifice. WhenJorge Mario finished primary school, his father encouragedhim to find a job. As Pope Francis recalled, his father said,"Look, since you're about to start high school, you need to startworking. Over your break I'm going to find something for youto do."

His father's suggestion came as a surprise. The family couldnot afford the luxuries of owning an automobile and takinglavish vacations, but it was far from needing an extra salary.Jorge Mario spent a few years cleaning the offices where hisfather worked as an accountant, and during his third year ofhigh school, he assumed administrative duties. By his fourthyear he was juggling work hours with trade school and time inthe lab. The young student was in the office from 7:00 a.m. to1:00 p.m., then dashed off to school, ate on the run, and didnot return home until his classes ended at 8:00 p.m.

The experience toughened up the young man who, oncehe became cardinal, reflected on what he had learned duringthose years: "I'm so grateful that my father made me work.

Work was one of the things that improved me in life. In thelab especially I learned the good and the bad of human effort."

The Argentine adolescent learned the value of work, andhis work ethic has made...