Pope Francis is still lying in his hospital bed. His clinical condition, as reported by Vatican News on Monday, March 3, 2025, remains complex. Francis, who has been at Gemelli Hospital in Rome since February 14, has been experiencing what the Vatican described as two episodes of "acute respiratory failure."
Francis has not been seen in public since entering the hospital, marking his longest absence since the start of his papacy in March 2013. His doctors have not indicated how long his treatment will last.
Never Returned Home
Throughout his leadership of the Catholic Church in Rome, Pope Francis has never set foot in his homeland, Argentina.
The people of Argentina have long awaited the presence of Pope Francis. However, with his fragile health as he battles double pneumonia, the return of the 88-year-old pope seems increasingly unlikely, as reported by Reuters.
During his papacy, Francis has made more than 45 international trips, including the first by a pope to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Myanmar, North Macedonia, Bahrain, and Mongolia.
However, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires has never returned to Argentina. Jimmy Burns, author of the biography Francis, Pope of Good Promise, said that one of the greatest mysteries of his papacy is the fact that Francis has never visited his home country, unlike his predecessors.
Burns stated that he is convinced Francis does not want to be seen as siding with the left-leaning Peronists or conservatives in the highly polarized political environment of the country. "Any visit would be sought to be exploited by one side or the other, and unwittingly he would provoke this division," he said.
Many in Argentina anticipated a visit shortly after Francis took office and visited Brazil. There were also talks of a trip last year. However, in both cases, the visit never materialized.
Guillermo Marco, former spokesman for the Pope when he was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, told Reuters that this was a "missed opportunity" for Argentina. According to Marco, Francis has a "tango soul" - a reference to the music and dance originating from the streets of Buenos Aires.
Marco, who has a close relationship with Francis, stated that the pope would be happy to visit if he could do so in a simple manner. "For example," Marco said, "he could visit the people he loves and, well, celebrate mass for the people." However, Marco continued, the Pope is fully aware that there are many supporters and critics vying for him.
Last September, the Pope told journalists that he wanted to go to Argentina, saying "they are my people," but "there are many things that need to be sorted out first."
Maximo Jurcinovic, the spokesman for the Argentine bishops' conference, said that the Church is focused on praying for the pope's health and will not comment on other matters.
Marco said that Francis sounded tired when he spoke to him at the end of January. "He seems to have a will, a spiritual strength given to him by God, which makes his body do many things, but his body has said to him, 'I can't.' That's what's happening to him now," he said
Inclusivity in the Church
During his papacy, the first led by a Pope from Latin America, Argentina has been rocked by repeated economic crises and political upheavals. The current government is led by President Javier Milei, who has helped stabilize the economy but implemented tough austerity measures.
Milei has been hostile towards Francis. He even called Francis a representative of the devil on Earth, although relations have improved since taking office. Some say that Francis should have visited regardless of the political environment.
Sergio Rubin, an Argentine journalist and one of the authors of the pope's biography The Jesuit, mentioned that some said he should still come because it would help close some political cracks.
Rogelio Pfirter, Vatican ambassador from 2016 to 2019 and a former pupil of Bergoglio at a Jesuit school in Argentina, said that Francis' effort to enhance inclusivity in the Church has been a priority for the Pope.
Pfirter said that he does not doubt anything about Argentina, and his homeland holds a special place in his head and heart. "But one of the pope's greatest legacies is "making the papacy for everyone,"" Pfirter told Reuters.
He does not rule out that from the Pope's perspective, it is more important to travel to the Pacific, Africa, and some other Latin American countries than to visit areas where the Church already has a strong position.
However, many believers in Argentina still want to welcome Pope Francis home and remember him as Bergoglio, who was born in 1936 in Buenos Aires to Italian immigrant parents. "That the pope has not come until now hurts me, it hurts me a little," said Claudia Nudel, at a recent mass in Buenos Aires to pray for the pope's recovery.
Silvia Leda, 70, who also attended the mass, said, "I want him to come, but I think the most important thing is what he can do for the world."
Editor’s Choice: Pope Francis' Current Condition: Two Episodes of Acute Respiratory Failure
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
