When Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, left Argentina for the Vatican in 2013 to participate in the conclave that would elect a new pope, he never imagined it would be the last time he saw his homeland. At the time, he was 76 years old—already beyond the usual age for active service among cardinals—and was not considered a frontrunner for the papacy.
“When he left Buenos Aires, he seemed a little sad,” recalled Guillermo Marco, a priest in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. “He was preparing to retire to a modest room in a priests’ house in Flores, a Buenos Aires neighborhood.”
What followed was nothing short of remarkable. Bergoglio was elected pope and served for 12 years, becoming one of the most transformative figures in recent Catholic history. Yet, during his entire pontificate, he never once returned to Argentina.
His close friend Gustavo Vera, a social activist and founder of an anti-trafficking organization, said Pope Francis had envisioned only a brief papacy. “He thought it would be four years because of his age,” Vera said. Despite the distance, the two exchanged hundreds of letters over the years, and Francis remained deeply informed about events in Argentina. “Sometimes he talked about football, sometimes tango, sometimes cultural events,” Vera added.
Francis visited nearly every country surrounding Argentina—including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Chile—and made multiple trips to Latin American nations such as Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. But never his own homeland.
The reasons are complex and deeply tied to Argentina’s polarized political climate and shifting public opinion. In the early days of his papacy, many Argentines expressed immense pride in having the first Latin American pope. However, that sentiment declined over the years. A 2024 survey found his approval rating in Argentina had dropped from 91% in 2013 to 64%, with negative opinions rising from 3% to 30%. Reformists criticized him for not going far enough, while conservatives accused him of undermining tradition.
Francis himself remained vague when asked about visiting Argentina. “I would like to go. It’s my people, but it’s not planned yet. There are some things that need to be resolved first,” he said in September 2024 after returning from a trip to the Asia-Pacific region.
Many Argentines were left puzzled by his hesitation. “The first thing any athlete does after winning a world-class award is return home to share it with their people. Bergoglio hasn’t returned once in 13 years. That says it all,” wrote one user on social media.
The pope’s absence became even more pronounced as Argentina slid into economic crisis, grappling with runaway inflation and rising poverty. According to Vera, the pontiff feared his presence would be politicized. “He always said he would return when he could help unify the country,” Vera explained, referring to the long-standing divisions between supporters and opponents of Peronism, the populist political movement founded by Juan Perón.
Another unprecedented decision marked the end of Pope Francis’ life: his burial outside the Vatican.
Breaking with more than a century of tradition, Francis chose to be buried not in the papal crypts beneath St. Peter’s Basilica, but at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), a church he cherished deeply. Located in a working-class Roman neighborhood near the main train station, the basilica is surrounded by Chinese supermarkets, African salons, and Bangladeshi shops—symbolic of the diversity and humility that marked Francis’s papacy.
Locals spoke warmly of the pope. Alamim Mohamed, who works in a mobile phone shop nearby, said he often saw Francis visiting the basilica. “He was gentle and kind. Always talking about peace and humanity,” he said.
Nancy, a homeless woman from Nigeria who often begs near the church, recalled seeing the pope three times. “One time, I was so happy I let out a high-pitched sound of joy, like we do at weddings back home,” she said with a smile.
Francis’s death during Easter week only deepened the symbolism. “This is Easter time. The Pope who ascends during Easter is close to Jesus Christ,” Nancy added. “Death is natural. We don’t have to fear it.”
Though modest on the outside, Santa Maria Maggiore is among Rome’s most historic churches. Its golden ceiling, decorated with gold from the Americas, and its rare mosaics span centuries. The basilica also houses relics believed to be from the manger of Jesus Christ.
Rather than follow the tradition of three coffins—cypress, lead, and elm—Francis requested a simple, unadorned tomb in a corridor off the basilica’s side. His Latin name, ‘Franciscus’, will mark the tomb.
Pilgrims gathered in large numbers to pray at the basilica. “My heart is pounding,” said Mary Grace, a visitor from the Philippines. “I feel excitement and sorrow. Maybe it’s because I feel the Pope’s spirit here.”
Francis will be the first pope buried outside the Vatican since Leo XIII in 1903. According to Father Ivan Ricupero, the basilica’s prefect, Pope Francis visited Santa Maria Maggiore 125 times during his papacy, often bringing flowers and praying before and after his international travels.
His decision to rest there, among the people, not behind Vatican walls, was a final act of humility. It aligned perfectly with his message: the Church belongs not to power or palaces, but to the people, the poor, and the marginalized.
As the world mourns him, his legacy—marked by compassion, controversy, and conviction—continues to resonate.
He may never have returned to Argentina in body, but in spirit, Pope Francis remained forever bound to the people who shaped him.
