Pope Francis plans to visit his native Argentina in 2024, local media reports
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The Pope has not visited his home country since he left for the Vatican a decade ago.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
BUENOS AIRES – Pope Francis, who has not visited his home country Argentina since he left for the Vatican a decade ago, said he planned to visit in 2024, local media reported on Sunday.
“I always wanted to return,” Pope Francis told Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper.
If the visit takes place, he would travel a year after the general election in October 2023.
“Don’t link me to Argentine politics, please,” the leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics is quoted as saying.
The Vatican was not immediately available for comment.
The Pope’s homeland is battling 100 per cent annual inflation and near 40 per cent poverty.
Pope Francis is the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church. While he has not yet returned to Argentina, he has made multiple trips abroad, including to Africa. REUTERS
