Francis Became the First Pope from Latin America

Pope Francis left a valuable legacy for Argentina and Latin America. He was the first Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church to hail from that country.

This position was also the first outside Europe since the death of Gregory III, born in Syria, in 741, according to Statista.

Data processed by Statista from Wikipedia shows that the majority of popes originated from Europe. Italy holds the top position with 217 out of a total of 266 popes.

Statista notes that France, Germany, modern Syria (formerly the Byzantine Empire), and Greece are also among the most common countries of origin for popes.

Statista adds that, as the papacy has existed for almost two millennia, many countries of origin for popes no longer exist and are therefore listed under their modern equivalents.

For example, Tunisia represents Africa Proconsularis, Croatia represents Dalmatia, Spain represents Valencia, and Turkey represents Anatolia.

The following is a list of the distribution of popes compiled by Wikipedia and Statista:

* Italian Peninsula: 217
* Holy Roman Empire (France): 16
* Holy Roman Empire (Germany): 6
* Roman & Byzantine Syria: 5
* Roman & Byzantine Greece: 4
* Roman Province of Africa: 3
* Roman & Byzantine Galilee-Palestine: 3
* Asia Minor: 2
* Croatia (Kingdom of Lombardy) Dalmatia: 2
* Roman Empire Lusitania & Portugal: 2
* Spain (Valencia): 2
* Argentina: 1
* England: 1
* Netherlands (Holy Roman Empire): 1
* People's Republic of Poland: 1
* Total: 266

(Also read: [Number of Living Cardinals from the Papal Era](https://databoks.katadata.co.id/demografi/statistik/6807736bef9a6/jumlah-kardinal-yang-masih-hidup-dari-masa-kepausan))