Pope Francis’ 87th birthday ends big year of efforts to reform the church, cement his legacy

Francis celebrated his birthday on Sunday with cake during an audience with children and the crowd held “Happy Birthday” banners in St Peter’s Square

Recent health issues and hospitalisations have raised questions about Francis’ ability to continue the globetrotting rigours of the modern-day papacy

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Pope Francis is presented with a birthday cake during an audience with the children of Santa Marta Paediatric Dispensary at the Vatican, Rome on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE / Vatican Media Handout

Published: 5:40am, 18 Dec 2023

Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, ending a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope.

Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children on Sunday morning, and there were “Happy Birthday” banners in St Peter’s Square during his weekly noon blessing.

One early present came on Saturday, when a Vatican tribunal handed down a mix of guilty verdicts and acquittals in a complicated trial that Francis had supported as evidence of his financial reforms. The biggest-name defendant, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.

“It was quite a year for a pope who’s obviously thinking about legacy and finishing up,” said Christopher Bellitto, professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey.

A sign reads “Happy Birthday” during Pope Francis’ weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter’s square at the Vatican, Rome on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Only seven popes are known to have been older than Francis at the time of their deaths, according to the online resource Catholic Hierarchy. Francis is fast closing in on one of them, Pope Gregory XII, perhaps best known for having been the most recent pope to resign until Pope Benedict XVI stepped down in 2013.