Pope Leo XIV’s upcoming trip to Argentina, the first papal visit in 39 years, is a sort of consolation prize for the homeland of predecessor Francis, who disappointed his compatriots by never returning as pontiff.
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who → disappoint → pontiff
At the entrance to Buenos Aires Cathedral, where the late Pope Francis served as archbishop for 15 years, a TV screen shows images of him kissing the feet of the faithful.
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him → serve → faithful
Next to it, a poster advertises the open-air mass that US-born Leo will celebrate on Nov 9 in Buenos Aires, on the second-leg of his South American tour.
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Leo → advertise → tour
The memory of Francis, Latin America’s first pope, looms large over the visit of his successor.
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memory → loom → successor
“Argentina was deeply hurt to lose its pope,” she told AFP at the door of the cathedral.
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she → hurt → cathedral
But Pope Leo’s close ties to the world’s most Catholic continent, cultivated over long years as a missionary and then archbishop in Peru, helped smooth the transition, she said.
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she → cultivate → transition
“Thank God the new pope has also had a connection with Latin America!”
Avoiding ‘political earthquake’
Francis visited several countries in Latin America, including neighboring Brazil, during his 12 years as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
But he studiously avoided his own, an absence that disappointed many and fuelled ongoing speculation about why.
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that → thank → why
The most widely held view is that he feared a visit would be seen as endorsing the divisive centre-left Peronist movement in power for much of his papacy, until Libertarian President Javier Milei’s win in 2023.
“He couldn’t or didn’t want to come,” Ruben Lozano, a 73-year-old from the northern province of Santa Fe, said on a recent visit to the capital.
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Lozano → hold → capital
“In order to avoid creating divisions he (Francis) said to himself: ‘OK, I won’t go to Argentina for the moment and everything will remain peaceful’.”
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everything → avoid → moment
Milei, who before becoming president copiously attacked Francis over his criticisms of capitalism and perceived leftist political stances, took the same view.
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who → become → view
“I have no doubt that Pope Francis wanted to come, and I think he didn’t come because he knew that if he did, it would cause a political earthquake,” Milei told Argentina’s Radio Mitre in October.
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Milei → have → October
In a 2023 book-length interview, Francis argued being pope was a political role but that he drew the line at party politics.
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he → argue → politics
The current archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Garcia Cuerva, has downplayed comparisons between the current and former Vatican leaders.
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archbishop → downplay → leaders
“The successor of Peter (regarded as the first pope) is coming, not the successor of Francis,” he said in August.
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he → regard → August
Mending divisions
Leo will be greeted by Milei at the foot of his plane when he arrives on Nov 8 from Uruguay.
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he → mend → Uruguay
After a giant open-air mass in the capital, he will travel to the central city of Cordoba and to a basilica near Buenos Aires that attracts millions of pilgrims each year.
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that → travel → pilgrims
The last pope to visit Argentina was John Paul II in 1987.
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pope → visit → 1987
Garcia Cuerva has billed the new papal visit as a chance to mend divisions in Argentine society, between the rich and poor, left and right.
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Cuerva → bill → rich
Leo will land in a country reeling after three years of biting austerity – Milei’s cure for years of overspending and rampant inflation.
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Leo → land → overspending
The Catholic Church has fiercely criticised the price paid by the poor for Milei’s swingeing budget cuts and deregulation.
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Taking a leaf from Francis’s book, Leo has put the poor and marginalised at the center of his papacy.
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Leo → take → papacy
“I see Leo as a sort of continuation... of the imprint that Francis left on the Vatican and the church,” said Lozano.
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Lozano → see → Vatican
The Aporia
