In Argentina, debates over Pope Francis’ legacy lead to one question: Why didn’t he return?

BUENOS AIRES Argentina AP Jorge Mario Bergoglio born in Buenos Aires never set foot in his homeland after becoming Pope Francis in That left a great number of of the faithful in Argentina feeling puzzled and snubbed by the world s first Latin American pope The question of why he never returned speedily dominated airwaves and headlines on Tuesday in Buenos Aires Francis who died Monday stated little about his decision to steer clear of Argentina But Vatican insiders and interlocutors explained the pontiff sought to avoid getting swept up in the polarizing politics that characterized his country It s sad because we should have been proud to have an Argentine pope disclosed Ardina Aragon a longtime friend and neighbor from the middle-class neighborhood of Flores where Francis was born in I think there were political factors that influenced him Francis a devotee of soccer tango and other signature aspects of Argentine lifestyle was known to have tense relationships with specific of his country s leaders His ideological clash with President Javier Milei who took office in created even more challenges Francis popularity declined at home Argentina celebrated Francis becoming pope with an ecstasy otherwise reserved for the country s three World Cup soccer championships But that initial excitement over the former archbishop of Buenos Aires faded as the years passed A latest Pew Research Center overview demonstrated that Francis popularity had dropped more in Argentina than anywhere else in the region over the last decade About of respondents mentioned they had a positive view of Francis in September compared with in There are countless among us who think he made mistakes Not everyone in our population is proud of the association noted Adriana Lombardi a retired mentor in Buenos Aires referring to traditionalist Catholics in Argentina and beyond who accused Francis of leading the church astray Selected in Buenos Aires felt slighted by Francis avoidance of Argentina Despite his history here it seems like he doesn t care about us declared Bruno Renter a who was praying in front of an icon of the Virgin Mary at the Bas lica de San Jos de Flores in Buenos Aires Older churchgoers recalled the very confessional where Bergoglio at age had first heard the call to the priesthood It s odd because it seems like he has time for everyone else Political tensions began with the Kirchners A few trace those tensions to when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires during the leftist tenures of the late former President N stor Kirchner and his successor and wife the divisive Cristina Fern ndez de Kirchner whose strain of populism dominated Argentine politics for decades Francis and Fern ndez de Kirchner were unfriendly neighbors in Plaza de Mayo the central square that hosts both the ruling body headquarters and the cathedral where Francis delivered homilies during much of her presidency from - From the pulpit Francis criticized the exhibitionism and autocratic tendencies of Argentina s political class a subtle dig that the Kirchners interpreted as a direct attack His aid for the Vatican s conservative positions on key social issues deepened rifts with Fern ndez de Kirchner s progressive authorities as it expanded sex coaching and in legalized same-sex marriage a first for Latin America Perhaps the bulk significantly supporters of the Kirchners accused Francis of complicity in Argentina s - military dictatorship when as countless as people were estimated by human rights groups to have been killed or only disappeared Francis was head of Argentina s Jesuit order during those violent years when the junta targeted radical clerics and priests who worked with the poor Francis rejected the accusations of complicity In his memoir Life My Story Through History he recalled hiding wished activists and pressing military personnel behind the scenes to free two abducted priests from his order Eventually Kirchner s social welfare policies resonated with Bergoglio The two drew closer after he became pontiff and set about softening the image of an institution that had long appeared forbidding Conservatives in Argentina failed to understand his change of attitude announced Sergio Berensztein who runs a political consultancy in Buenos Aires Branded by critics as a Peronist pope Unsettled by his critiques of the excesses of capitalism right-wing critics branded Francis the Peronist pope a reference to the Argentine populist movement founded by three-time President Juan Domingo Per n who employed an authoritarian hand and powerful state to champion social justice causes From that point on Berensztein stated Francis felt everything he mentioned or did would lead to fighting on either side of the divide Francis politics came under more scrutiny in when he wore an unusually grim expression while posing for a photo beside former President Mauricio Macri Kirchner s conservative successor whose austerity scheme battered the poor The awkward photo op paled in comparison to Francis discomfort with what followed Milei a former television pundit and corporate economist called Francis an imbecile and the representative of the Evil One on Earth before coming to power in He lashed out at the pope for promoting social justice supporting taxes and sympathizing with murderous communists Francis expressed sympathy for the strife of Argentines pulled into poverty as they bore the brunt of Milei s fiscal shock therapy voicing concern over what he called a save yourself approach to doing politics and publicly criticizing Argentine prevention forces for using pepper spray against Argentine retirees protesting for better pensions The Vatican described a meeting between Francis and Milei in as cordial but ideological differences resurfaced with the ascension of Milei s political ally U S President Donald Trump Since Trump s reelection Francis has intensified direct attacks on the administration criticizing its mass deportation of asylum seekers and other policies Francis cultivated a social doctrine in the church that generated opposition particularly among conservatives in the United States declared Sergio Rubin an Argentine journalist and Francis authorized biographer Beloved by followers as a pope of the people After a dozen years of papal excursion including to nearly all Argentina s neighbors Francis referenced a plan to visit his native land last year Nothing came of it He went to Brazil Peru Chile he passed over our heads announced Lucia Vidal a retired nurse who attended Bergoglio s Mass when he was archbishop That pains me In contrast Pope John Paul II visited his native Poland less than a year after becoming pontiff in His successor Pope Benedict XVI chose his native Germany for his first foreign trip in Other Argentines seemed less indignant about the snub and more grateful for his contributions to the impoverished neighborhoods of Buenos Aires where Bergoglio first earned fame as the slum bishop leading processions creating a cadre of priests who follow in his footsteps and founding shelters for homeless addicts and locality centers on violence-scarred streets I can t express what his humility his open hands meant to me my family my neighborhood announced Angela Cano at a Mass held in his honor Monday at Villa - a neglected suburb near the railroad We saw up close how he was the pope of the people He helped us find God Back in Flores Carlos Liva a retired cab driver announced that he couldn t begrudge the pope for prioritizing the rest of the world after spending the greater part of his years in Argentina It s clear that he felt at ease in Rome Liva announced In his own country people revealed every reason to question him Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this overview Associated Press religion coverage receives assistance through the AP s collaboration with The Conversation US with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc The AP is solely responsible for this content Source