Pope Francis never returned to Argentina despite deep ties and political complexity

Pope Francis’s absence from Argentina reflects a lifelong balancing act between faith, politics, and his mission for the marginalized.

An illuminated image of Pope Francis is projected onto the obelisk in Buenos Aires, on February 24, 2025. Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Pope Francis never returned to Argentina after becoming pontiff in 2013—a fact that puzzled many given his deep personal connection to his homeland. Throughout his papacy, which was shaped by his advocacy for the poor and his call for social justice, Argentina remained the one place he never revisited. The reason for his absence, according to observers, lies in the tangled web of Argentine politics and the risk of being perceived as siding with any one political faction.

“See you soon,” Jorge Bergoglio reportedly told locals as he left Buenos Aires for Rome in 2013 after being elected as Pope Francis. That promise, however, would go unfulfilled for the rest of his life. Though he visited nations across five continents, including several countries in Latin America—Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia—he consistently avoided returning to the city where he was born, schooled, and baptized, where he served the church for decades, and where he first felt his call to serve the marginalized.

A deeply personal connection, held at a distance

Buenos Aires was not only Pope Francis’s hometown, but also the city where he rose through the Catholic hierarchy. It was where he found his calling to help the poor, where he fell in love with tango music, and where he passionately supported his favorite football team, San Lorenzo. But despite these powerful personal ties, the pope chose to maintain physical distance.

This decision, many analysts say, had less to do with emotional detachment and more with strategic caution. Argentina’s sharply divided political climate, in which every public gesture can be interpreted through partisan lenses, made a papal return perilous.

His biographer Sergio Rubin said in 2023 that Pope Francis’s every action was “the subject of partisan interpretations.” Simply setting foot in Argentina under any given administration would likely have been construed as an endorsement of that regime. As such, the pontiff refrained from what could be seen as political signaling.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Adolfo Pérez Esquivel acknowledged the sensitivity of the situation, remarking, “It’s not easy. One has to deal very carefully with the political leadership here.”

From opposition figure to global leader

Before becoming pope, Bergoglio was already deeply involved in the Argentine public sphere. As archbishop of Buenos Aires from 1998 and later head of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, he often confronted the country’s political elite over issues such as poverty, inequality, and corruption. This led former President Néstor Kirchner to label him “the spiritual leader of the opposition.”

At the same time, Bergoglio was dogged by controversial accusations regarding his role during Argentina’s brutal 1976–1983 military dictatorship. Critics claimed he failed to protect two Jesuit priests who were detained and tortured, but investigations later concluded that he had, in fact, intervened in their defense.

As pope, Francis continued to speak frankly about political matters, often clashing with presidents from both the left and the right. His critiques extended to corruption, populism, economic mismanagement, and societal debates over issues like abortion and marriage equality.

Some politicians viewed him as a political rival rather than a spiritual leader. Yet for Francis, engaging in political discourse was an extension of his pastoral mission. “Yes, I am doing politics,” he said in 2023. “Because everybody has to do politics. Christian people have to do politics.” He emphasized that engaging in politics did not mean taking sides but advocating for justice.

Tense ties with Milei, followed by reconciliation

The tension between Pope Francis and Argentina’s political elite reached a peak with the rise of libertarian economist Javier Milei. Before winning the presidency in 2023, Milei sharply criticized Francis, accusing him of promoting “communism” and calling him an “imbecile.” The attack was widely publicized, further complicating the idea of a papal visit.

However, Milei later issued a public apology and was received at the Vatican in early 2024. Images of the pope and the new president warmly greeting each other seemed to mark a turning point in their relationship. Still, even this public reconciliation was not enough to prompt a return visit to Argentina.

Despite his physical absence, Pope Francis remained a vocal presence in Argentine affairs. Following Milei’s visit, the pope released a video message urging governments to embrace their responsibilities in addressing inequality. “The state, today more important than ever, is called upon to exercise this central role of redistribution and social justice,” he declared.

Not a Peronist—but often seen as one

Though the pope often emphasized that he did not align with any political ideology, many Argentines—especially his critics—perceived him as sympathetic to Peronism, the dominant populist-socialist political movement in the country. “My writings about social justice led to claims that I am Peronist,” he said in 2023. “But asserting that is a lie.”

Still, the alignment between the pope’s rhetoric and the themes of social justice, worker’s rights, and redistribution of wealth—central tenets of Peronism—continued to fuel speculation. Whether fairly or not, Francis was often seen as leaning left, a perception that further complicated any thoughts of a return home.

The Vatican doors were always open

While he avoided traveling to Argentina, Pope Francis welcomed a steady stream of Argentine leaders to the Vatican, including those with whom he had publicly disagreed. The church and state may be legally separate in Argentina, but the lines often blur. Until 1994, the constitution even required the president to be a practicing Catholic. That legacy still colors how papal interactions are perceived within Argentine society.

Francis understood that any visit home could destabilize the carefully balanced image of neutrality he sought to maintain as a global leader of the Catholic Church. In the end, the decision not to return to Argentina seemed less like a rejection of his homeland and more like a sacrifice made in service of a broader mission.

A pope of the poor, but not of partisanship

Pope Francis’s legacy in Argentina remains complicated. To many, he is still the humble pastor from Buenos Aires who rose to lead the Catholic Church. To others, he became a symbol of political interference or ideological alignment.

Yet for Francis, the goal was never to please politicians or maintain popularity. His focus remained on those most often overlooked: the poor, the sick, the displaced. He brought that focus into every corner of the globe—but chose not to let his return to Argentina risk turning that mission into a political spectacle.

By not returning to the place of his birth, Pope Francis may have disappointed some compatriots. But in the broader view of his papacy, that decision underscored a consistent message: his work was for all, not just for one nation. His identity as a shepherd of the global Church, untethered from political partisanship, demanded such restraint—even if it meant never going home.