The new Pope, Francis I halls from

The answer is A) Argentina. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, was elected on 13 March 2013 after Benedict XVI resigned, and he took the name Francis. He was the first Jesuit pope, the first from the Americas, and the first from the Southern Hemisphere.

Core concept: papal succession. A pope is chosen by the College of Cardinals in a conclave, and nationality is simply where the elected cardinal comes from. Mains relevance: the shift of the Church's centre of gravity to Latin America and the Global South, and the debate on liberation theology and social justice.

• Bolivia (B): Not his country. Bolivia has a large Catholic population, but no pope has come from there.
• Brazil (C): Brazil has the largest Catholic population in the world by number, which is why it tempts many students. Still, the pope was not Brazilian.
• Venezuela (D): Also a Spanish-speaking Latin American country, but not the pope's origin.

Note: Pope Francis died in April 2025 and was succeeded by Pope Leo XIV, who is American. The fact in this question stands for 2013.

Trap: Choosing Brazil because of its Catholic population, or assuming that a Spanish-speaking Latin American country means the pope's origin.