Ever stood next to someone and felt like they were way bigger than they actually were? That’s the "Pope effect." People often ask how tall is pope Francis because when you see him on that massive balcony at St. Peter’s Basilica, he looks like a giant. In reality, he’s pretty average.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, whom we all know as Pope Francis, stands at approximately 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm).
Now, if you’re thinking, "Wait, I thought he was shorter," you aren't crazy. Height is a funny thing, especially when you’re talking about an 89-year-old man who has spent the last few years dealing with some pretty serious health hurdles. Time, gravity, and a bad knee have a way of shrinking a person's silhouette.
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Why does everyone care about how tall the Pope is?
Maybe it’s because we associate height with authority. Or maybe it's just human curiosity. Honestly, though, his physical presence has changed so much since he first stepped out in 2013. Back then, he stood tall, walking with a brisk, purposeful stride that surprised people accustomed to the more frail Benedict XVI.
But things changed.
If you've followed the news lately—specifically the heavy updates from early 2025 and 2026—you know his stature has become more of a health talking point than a fashion one. By the time the Vatican was issuing those intense medical bulletins in February and March of 2025, Francis was spending almost all of his time in a wheelchair.
When you’re sitting down, "tall" becomes a relative term.
Comparisons with Previous Popes
How does he stack up against the guys who came before him?
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- Pope John Paul II: This guy was a bit of a powerhouse. In his prime, he was about 5'11" (180 cm). He had that broad-shouldered, athletic build of a former goalkeeper and mountain climber.
- Pope Benedict XVI: On the other end of the spectrum, Benedict was notably smaller, estimated around 5'7" (170 cm). He always looked a bit more delicate in those massive papal robes.
- Pope Francis: At 5'9", he sits right in the middle. He's the "Goldilocks" of papal heights—not too tall, not too short.
Why He Might Look Shorter (or Taller) to You
Clothing is a huge factor. The papal wardrobe isn't exactly designed to be "slimming" or "height-enhancing."
Those heavy, layered cassocks and the long pellegrina (the short shoulder cape) can make anyone look a bit stockier and shorter than they are. Plus, Francis famously ditched the "heeled" red shoes favored by his predecessors for simple, flat black orthopedic shoes.
That’s a solid inch of height gone right there.
Then there’s the posture. Francis has struggled with sciatica for years. If you’ve ever had back pain, you know it literally pulls your body downward. By the time he reached his late 80s, the "stoop" became more pronounced.
It’s also worth mentioning the "missing lung" factor. People often forget that he had part of his right lung removed as a young man in Argentina. While it didn't directly affect his height, it certainly impacted his chest cavity and how he carries himself, especially during those bouts of pneumonia that dominated the headlines in early 2025.
The Health Reality of 2025-2026
The conversation around his physical stature took a somber turn recently.
We saw reports from the Vatican and outlets like Rome Reports detailing how his appearance changed. He became more "swollen" due to medication for his respiratory issues and mobility problems. When a person is fighting bilateral pneumonia and recovering from strokes, as Francis was reported to be doing in late 2025, their height is the last thing on anyone's mind.
Yet, it’s the physical frailty that makes his height feel different. A 5'9" man in a wheelchair looks much smaller to a crowd of thousands than a 5'9" man standing at a podium.
Final Take on the Pope's Stature
Basically, the Pope isn't a tall man by modern standards, but he isn't tiny either. He is a man of average height whose "presence" has always felt much larger than his 175 centimeters.
Whether he’s standing on a balcony or being wheeled through a crowd, the metric that actually matters—to his followers, at least—is his reach, not his height.
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Quick Action Steps for Fact-Checkers:
- Check the Year: Always look at the date of the photo or video. Post-2022 footage shows a much more compressed posture due to knee issues.
- Look at the Shoes: If you see him in those plain black shoes, remember he’s giving up the height advantage of the traditional red papal slippers.
- Source the Bio: If you need the official record, "Jorge Mario Bergoglio" is the name to search in medical or biographical archives from Argentina for his youth stats.
If you’re tracking the current state of the Vatican in 2026, keep an eye on official transition news, as the physical height of the next Pope—whoever follows in the footsteps of Leo XIV—will likely become the new subject of global fascination.