Meet Pope Francis’ famous niece who isn’t religious at all

On Easter Monday, Pope Francis, the head of the Vatican, passed away at the age of 88. The pontiff’s funeral plans are being sorted with various dignitaries and royals, including Prince William, set to attend.

The Pope has had to shy away from his family life following his ascendancy, but he does leave behind a sister alongside nieces and grand-nieces. In a Facebook post, Carolina Bergoglio wrote: “The death of Pope Francis marks a profoundly symbolic moment in the history of humanity. He was a spiritual leader who knew how to speak to the heart of the world with humility, closeness, and a profoundly human perspective.”

While Francis meant a lot to his family, there is one member who didn’t care much for his role, that being his famous niece, Cristina Bergoglio.

Here’s all we know about her…

Early life and career

Born in 1967, Cristina is the daughter of the Pope’s sister, Maria Elena Bergoglio. She attended school in Argentina, graduating from the National University of Cordoba with qualifications in urban architecture.

The star has become a professional artist and she started holding exhibitions in the late 1980s. Cristina typically paints cityscapes including New York City, London and Madrid, where she currently resides.

© Europa Press via Getty Images

At an exhibition held in Miami back in 2014, her pieces were valued between $4,075 to $27,160.

Cristina’s art has become so popular that she was the subject of a documentary, Writing with a Brush. The documentary was filmed in an interview format and charted her artistic inspirations and personality.

Faith

Even though her uncle was the Pope, Cristina has admitted that she isn’t religious in the slightest. Speaking to American news outlet Local 10 News, she described herself as spiritual over religious.

“I’m not afraid to say I see the church as outdated, and that’s why I believe life has put my uncle to renew this certain system of thought that was getting stagnated,” she told them.

© Getty Images

Although at the time, Cristina expressed an interest in visiting her uncle, she only did so on one occasion. During the meeting, she gifted her uncle a portrait of Saint Francis of Assisi, who he took his papal name from.

Speaking about not spending time with her uncle, she told the Irish Times in 2018: “I do not see him anymore, not because I don’t want to, but because I respect his job as a spiritual messenger very much and because I am also very busy with my work.”