"Francisco was a loving and profound person"

Buenos AiresFrancis—or Jorge, or Bergoglio, as some who knew him personally still call him—is undoubtedly a beloved and respected, if controversial, figure in his native Argentina. Early this morning, a Mass was celebrated in the Buenos Aires cathedral, which throughout the day was filled with tearful, emotional faithful. "Francis's words will always remain with us," said 26-year-old Valentina Roseti: "For young Catholics, he is an example to follow." Camila Ferrada carries offerings from the San Lorenzo soccer club, whose team Francis supported, like her, and Marcelo Diéguez wears a badge on his jacket lapel with a "Long live the Pope!", something her grandmother used to say: "I come here for me but also for her," she proclaims.

Argentine President Javier Milei has declared seven days of national mourning, with masses and tributes throughout the country. The president had expressed ideological differences with the pontiff, whom he had described as "the representative of evil on Earth" and as a communist. The relationship between the two leaders softened when Milei visited him in the Vatican in February 2024. The Casa Rosada has already confirmed that the Argentine president will attend Francis's funeral.

The Pope has often been an uncomfortable figure for the political establishment in Argentina: despite promoting the Church's social doctrine, Francis never defined himself as a Peronist, and figures such as Néstor and Cristina Kirchner have criticized him for being "right-wing." "Certain politicians and media outlets have sought to confuse Francis's image and present him not as a religious leader but as a political leader," Victoria Morales, who worked closely with him when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires, told ARA. She asserts that this identification "distanced some people from his figure."

In Flores, the neighborhood where Bergoglio was born and raised, the commotion is even greater. Francis had been a priest at the Basilica of San José de Flores, one of the focal points of the Catholic faith in Buenos Aires. Throughout Monday, various Masses were held, with faithful praying for his soul. The current priest, Father Martín Bourdieu—who was a student of Bergoglio—told ARA that Francis left "his journey and his roots" in Flores, since "it was there that his vocation, his calling, was born." For him, in particular, saying goodbye to Francis is "like saying goodbye to a father."

At the doors of the church, Teresa Franceli is moved: "For me, Pope Francis has been everything," she says, and tells how the news surprised her first thing in the morning while she was preparing the mateEmilce Molina acknowledges that she would have liked Francis to have traveled to the country during his pontificate, a criticism many Argentinians make, and Lucas Sanjuán thanks the pontiff for having "exported the Argentine gene of solidarity and humanity." A group of teenage boys curiously look at the television cameras planted at the church door. They are from a Catholic school in the neighborhood. Bautista Martínez, 12, declares himself a "fan" of Pope Francis: "I love him very much," he says smiling, "he has taught me values, I have read the Bible many times."

"Francis always encouraged everyone to get involved in politics: he said that political participation is one of the noblest vocations of charity," recalls Victoria Morales. "He was a loving and profound person; he always challenged us with the reality of what was happening socially and invited us to come together to think of solutions." Despite the controversy, in Argentina, Francis's figure will always be linked to social justice and the vision of the Church as an instrument to support the most vulnerable.