From the moment he stepped onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in 2013, Pope Francis signalled a different kind of papacy, as he was the first pope in living memory to present himself to the crowds without the traditional red mozetta and stole.
His unique personality—with an openness to break precedent—and the unusual circumstances of his election quickly earned him a reputation as “the first pope to…” do many things.
Even when he wasn’t technically the first ever to do something, he often was the first in centuries—making it seem like a first for those born in the past 100 years.
Here are some of the most notable “firsts” that defined Pope Francis’ time as pontiff:
Francis was the first pope in 718 years to succeed a pontiff who had voluntarily resigned of his own accord.
He was the first pope to be ordained priest after the Second Vatican Council—meaning he was the first pontiff to have no experience of the pre-conciliar Church as a priest.
He was the first Argentinian pope. In fact, he was the first pope from the Americas and the first ever from the Southern Hemisphere.
He was the first pope to choose the name “Francis.” He was also the first since the 10th century to take an entirely original name (not derived from any predecessor).
He was the first Jesuit pope.
He was the first pope to take residence at the House of St. Martha.
He became the first pope to wash only the feet of women during a Maundy Thursday foot-washing ceremony.
He was the first pope to launch an Instagram account.
He was the first pope to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
He was the first pontiff to visit the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Myanmar, Mongolia, and East Timor.
During his Emirates visit, he also became the first pope to sign a declaration on human fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar—one of the leading authorities in Muslim Sunni world.
Under his leadership, women were appointed for the first time to high-ranking roles in the Roman Curia and also granted the right to vote in a Synod of Bishops.
He was the first pope to speak at a G7 summit.
His pontificate saw the release of the first Church document dedicated to artificial intelligence.
Finally, Pope Francis was the first pope since the 1600s to be buried at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Pope Francis’ legacy is one of firsts—not for novelty’s sake, but as part of a deeper commitment to Church reform and outreach. His successor will be the first to inherit these breakthroughs.
Featured image attribution: Jeffrey Bruno, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.F
Dr. Pedro Gabriel is a Portuguese Internet journalist, having received a diploma with Honours from the London School of Journalism in 2021. He is a member of the International Association of Religion Journalists. He is currently residing in Portugal with his wife, Claire.
He is one of the co-founders of Where Peter Is, where he remains as one of its main contributors.
He won second place from the 2024 Catholic Media Association Awards in the category “History” for his book Heresy Disguised as Tradition (En Route, 2023) and also won first place and honourable mention from the same organization in the category “Pope Francis” and “Sacraments” for his apologetics book “The Orthodoxy of Amoris Laetitia (Wipf and Stock, 2022). His latest apologetics book is “Rigidity: Faithfulness or Heterodoxy?” (En Route, 2024).
He was an accredited press corps member for the press coverage of World Youth Day Lisbon 2023.
Currently, he is taking classes in moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. He is also a medical oncologist, a parish reader, and a published writer of Catholic novels.
