Cardinals around the world are remembering Pope Francis not just as a pope, but as a pastor deeply connected to real life. Some also expressed their hopes for the next pope.

Having turned 112 on Easter at Queen of the Rosary Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville, N.Y. — a supercentenarian for two years, and a member of her order since 1931 — she is, like all members of the body of Christ, still able to participate in the ministry of presence.

Growing old isn’t something to be feared, but rather something to embrace as a time of grace in one’s life, Pope Francis wrote in a preface for a book that was not released before he died.

As we absorb the news of Francis’ death and anticipate his funeral and then the conclave gathering to elect a new pontiff, here is a quick look at how we have come to know Jorge Bergoglio over these past 12 years.

Alejandro Cañadas, now an associate professor of economics at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, met then-Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio several times from 1991 to 1997 when he was a college student in his native Argentina.