Pope Francis traveled around the world during his 12-year papacy, stopping in 68 countries with 47 Apostolic Visits but never returned to his native Argentina.
Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires who died Monday at the age of 88, didn’t make the return to his motherland despite signaling early on his desires.
The 266th pontiff, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in the Flores neighborhood of the Argentinian capital, never publicly spoke about his failure to return to the South American country.
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Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio presides over a mass outside the San Cayetano church with an Argentine flag hanging behind him in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Aug. 7, 2009. AP
Francis had an open invitation to visit Argentina from all four presidents who served
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