The pope said that he hoped to come soon to our country

Pope Francis said yesterday that he was planning to visit Argentina "soon", following a visit to his homeland, that he has not traveled yet since his enthronement in March 2013.

"We will see if I can go soon," said the Pontiff when journalists asked him about a possible trip to Argentina on the flight that took him yesterday from Rome to Rabat for a two-day visit. in 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.

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

This year, Jorge Bergoglio has already traveled to 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 Telam, the president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (CEA), the Bishop of San Isidro Oscar Ojea, pointed out that the Church wanted "that Pope Francis" to visit Argentina ", while stating that" it's a decision of him. "

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 anticipated that, during the visit to the Vatican, they would propose "not to deprive him of the joy "to visit his country of origin.

"It was only an expression of desire, it is natural that we tell him that we want him to come, but far from being a formal invitation or pressure, it would be ridiculous to think that we can put pressure on the pope to come, "said Ojea. 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 stressed that in the country "we must stop dismissing Francisco's teaching, and not reduce the papal theme to the fact that he smiles or not, that he gives or not a rosary, whether it comes or not.At the Argentineans, in general, it costs the pope to let him be pope, we want him to continue to be Argentinian ".

"We always want to put the pope in all the gaps and problems," concluded 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 declared, he will remain the only pontiff of the last 51 years not to have visited his country during the first year of his mandate.