There is a wave of mourning in Argentina, the hometown of Pope Francis, following the news of his passing. At the same time, attention is drawn to the reason the pope did not visit Argentina from his accession to the papacy until his death.
According to the New York Times (NYT) and the Associated Press (AP) on the 23rd (local time), Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. He visited 68 countries around the world over 12 years since his inauguration in 2013 but never returned to Argentina. While he visited several neighboring South American countries, including Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia, Argentina was left out.
Aside from stating, "I lived in Argentina for 76 years. Isn't that enough?", Pope Francis has not disclosed any specific reasons for not visiting Argentina.
According to his aides and acquaintances, Pope Francis was reportedly concerned that a visit to Argentina would become a source of political conflict. He felt fatigued by the political interpretation of his remarks and decisions in Argentina, and he reportedly did not want any president to use his visit politically by saying, "I invited the pope."
Reports indicate that he often clashed with the Argentine political establishment. In particular, he faced friction with several administrations over social issues such as same-sex marriage and the legalization of abortion, and he experienced serious conflicts with current President Javier Milei.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the conflicts trace back to the leftist Kirchner couple's government (2003-2015). At that time, Cardinal Bergoglio (the current Pope Francis) openly criticized the ostentatious and authoritarian attitudes of former President Néstor Kirchner and his successor and wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. He also opposed same-sex marriage, which clashed with the administration advocating for its legalization.
Pope Francis also criticized the austerity policies of presidents Mauricio Macri and Javier Milei, who emerged after the Kirchner administration, stating that these policies plunged the poor into suffering. The far-right former President Milei criticized Pope Francis, referring to him as a "fool" and "the devil's agent," claiming he sympathized with communism.
In addition to being wary of partisan interpretations, the pope is reported to have emphasized his universality as a pope for Catholics around the world. Multiple religious sociologists assessed in the NYT that "he wanted to remain a universal figure leading the global church rather than being constrained by the local framework of Argentina."
However, among the largely Catholic citizens of Argentina, there is considerable disappointment that the pope ultimately did not visit. According to a report by the Pew Research Center, Pope Francis's popularity in Argentina has significantly declined compared to other regions over the past decade. In 2014, the year following his papacy, 91% of respondents expressed a positive view of Pope Francis, but this figure dropped to 64% in 2024.