The late Catholic Church leader’s sister once divulged details about his desire to become pope. However, her account differs from those presented by someone claiming to be his boyhood sweetheart. Pope Francis, the Roman Catholic Church’s 266th pontiff, died on April 21, 2025, at Casa Santa Marta, his chosen residence in Vatican City. His death sparked a worldwide outpouring of reflection on the legacy he left behind, as he was known for his humility, compassion, and strong commitment to the downtrodden.

While much has been written about his leadership, renewed interest has focused on his past prior to the papacy, especially the only lady he has been romantically linked with. After the woman he supposedly loved turned down his proposal, the late pope pursued a priestly career. The blonde, who had previously been the target of public fascination, was observed during a press interview.

Along with these views into his upbringing, individuals closest to him provided unique insight into the man he was before he donned the white cassock. María Elena Bergoglio, Pope Francis’ younger sister, said in an interview that he never aspired to lead the Catholic Church. She remembered private talks in which they joked about the possibility, and he would say, “No, please no.” Despite his initial reservations, she described his role as “a blessing from God,” and thought his first public appearance as Pope reflected a fullness of heart.

In a 2013 interview, Amalia Damonte, a childhood acquaintance from the Buenos Aires suburb of Flores, gave a startling reminiscence of Pope Francis’ early years, providing a window into his infancy. She remembered him once saying, “If I can’t marry you, I’ll become a priest.” Damonte alluded to a possible twist of fate, claiming that if he hadn’t left his position at the church of San José de Flores a few months earlier, he might have officiated her wedding. She disregarded young passion, stating, “In love?…I only knew love when I was much older.”

The Argentine woman, who grew up as Pope Francis’ neighbor, remembers being the target of his devotion when they were both 12 years old. He left her a handwritten message, which caused quite a commotion at the time. “I remember perfectly that he had drawn me a little white house, which had a red roof, and it said, ‘This is what I’ll buy when we marry,'” she told me. Although the letter was a childish gesture, it caused a stir in Damonte’s household.

“These were childish things, nothing more,” she explained, but her parents saw things differently. Her father spanked her, but her mother faced her personally. “My mother broke it off. Good Lord. She came to get me at school and exclaimed, ‘So, you’re getting letters from a boy?!'” Damonte recalls. Her parents immediately implemented rigorous steps to keep them apart.

“My parents took me completely away. “They did everything they could to separate us after that,” she said. “What I wanted is for him to disappear from the map!” They spoke again, but the tone was heated. She ordered him to keep away and not contact her again, telling him that getting too close to her father might put him in danger. Looking back, she rejected the encounter as inconsequential, remarking that nothing could have emerged from it given their parents’ strictness.

The Bergoglio family left Membrillar Street decades ago, and Damonte ultimately married and started a family. She then returned to her parents’ house but never attempted to reunite with her old neighbor, though she observed his rise in the church from afar.
She saw him as a down-to-earth person, similar to herself, and believed they had a humble spirit and sympathy for the poor, which she felt were often disregarded in today’s world.

Despite Argentine media calling her the “Pope’s Girlfriend” and speculating on a reunion, she dismissed the notion as ludicrous. Recognizing the wide differences in their lives, she regarded herself a part of his history — a simple and unblemished chapter that stayed linked to their shared beginnings. Despite believing herself a part of his past, she was taken aback when she discovered that her childhood sweetheart had become Pope. In another interview, Damonte acknowledged, “I froze in front of the TV.” “I could not believe Jorge was the Pope.”

She characterized him as a wonderful person whom she had always viewed as honorable. Despite her surprise at his elevation to the papacy, Damonte continued to watch her former love’s career from afar. Unfortunately, by the time Pope Francis was 88, he had endured major health issues throughout the years. On February 14, 2025, after experiencing breathing difficulties for several days, he was brought to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for treatment. Doctors diagnosed him with double pneumonia, which is a severe lung infection.

According to a Vatican statement issued on February 23, he remained in critical condition despite receiving treatment for pneumonia and minor renal failure. He was given oxygen therapy and a blood transfusion, but officials said that he enjoyed a “tranquil” night afterward. Despite his condition, he stayed conscious and participated in Holy Mass from his hospital room. Medical professionals classified his condition as critical, citing complications such as low blood counts and kidney problems.

While the Vatican declared that his red blood cell count had normalized and that no more respiratory distress had occurred, concerns about his overall health remained. Despite his precarious state, Pope Francis maintained contact with the public and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. In a post on X, he expressed gratitude for the many well-wishes he received throughout his hospital stay.

He wrote that he was particularly moved by children’s letters and drawings, and he expressed gratitude for international support and prayers. Pope Francis has also experienced respiratory and gastrointestinal problems throughout the years. He had surgery in 2021 for a gastrointestinal problem, followed by another in 2023 to address a hernia.

His health struggles had been unpredictable. After exhibiting signs of progress, his condition deteriorated, raising additional concerns. The Vatican stated that Francis was initially admitted for bronchitis but was later diagnosed with a polymicrobial respiratory illness. The CT scan revealed pneumonia in both lungs. Dr. Sergio Alfieri classified Pope Francis as a “fragile” patient due to his age and medical history, stating that his status could change on a daily basis.

Despite these hurdles, he remained upbeat, often leaving his hospital bed to pray at the chapel. His doctors had not set a discharge date at the time, stating that he would remain in care until he acquired full strength.