Pope Francis and a possible trip to Argentina: "We'll see if I can go soon"

Pope Francis mentioned the possibility of visiting Argentina, his country of origin and in which he has not traveled since taking office as bishop of Rome in March 2013.

"We'll see if I can go soon", were the words pronounced by the pontiff before a comment of the Argentine journalist Inés San Martín. "I told the pope that my mother, who hates flying, would like you to visit Argentina", the columnist of the site reported on his Twitter account Crux.

The exchange was recorded during the flight that led Saturday the Pope from Rome to Rabat for a two-day visit to Morocco.

Earlier this month, the Argentine bishops welcomed the pontiff for the sixth anniversary of his election and announced that they would renew an invitation to the country during the "ad limina" visit to the Vatican in May.

During the informal greeting with Spanish-speaking journalists on board the aircraft, the pontiff also said that he "would like" to go to Spain, another country he has not visited since his election to Pope 266 of the Catholic Church on March 13, 2013.

This year, Jorge Bergoglio has already visited Panama, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and confirmed trips to Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania (May) as well as to Madagascar, Mozambique and Mauritius (September).

This week, in an interview with TelamPresident of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), the Bishop of San Isidro Oscar Ojea pointed out that the Church wanted "that Pope Francis" go to Argentina, "adding that this" was part of his decision ".

In this context, Ojea confirmed that during the next visit that all the bishops will make to the Vatican between April 28 and May 18 – as part of the traditional "ad limina" visit – Francisco will be transmitted "the desire to visit the Argentina. "

In a message issued on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the election of Pope Francis on March 13, the bishops had foreseen that, during the visit to the Vatican, they would propose "not to deprive him of the joy "to travel to his native country, a sentence This has raised expectations and versions as to a possible trip for 2020.

"It was only an expression of desire, it is natural that we tell him that we want to come, but it's far from a formal invitation or pressure, it would be ridiculous to think that we can put pressure on the pope for it to come ", Ojea clarified in a dialogue with Telam.

The prelate said that a possible trip for the year 2020, once past elections, "is a decision of him, who makes his decisions in consultation with the Secretary of State and with a vision personal ".

"We will be respectful of the decision he takes," he added. And he added, "We must stop defrauding the teachings of Francisco and not reduce the papal theme to the question of whether he smiled or not, whether he gave a Rosary or not, and It does not come to Argentineans, in general, it is expensive for the pope, and he is pope, we want him to continue to be Argentinian. "

"We always want to put the pope in all the gaps and problems"concludes the bishop.

After the resignation of Benedict XVI in 2013, Bergoglio became the first American Pope of the Catholic Church. And since then, he has visited most Latin American countries. He was already in Ecuador, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico.

Although Francisco decides to come "soon" to Argentina, as he has just said before the journalists who accompany him on his flight to Rabat (Morocco), he will remain the only pontiff of the last 51 years to not be returned to his homeland the first year of his stay. its mandate.