Pope Leo's Argentina debut revives memory of Francis

As she listened to Pope Leo address millions in Buenos Aires during the second leg of his South America papal tour, Eugenia Delcurto found herself thinking of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis.



Francis, who died in April 2025 at the age of 88, never made it back to his home country as pontiff, lamented Delcurto, 49.



But Leo's humility reminded her of Francis, the first leader of the Catholic Church from the Americas.



“I see him and I keep thinking of Francis,” she said.



Leo's visit to Argentina, where he was met by record-breaking crowds waving flags and balloons, has inevitably revived memories for many of Francis.



The former archbishop of Buenos Aires made more than 45 international trips during his papacy but never visited Argentina.



Known in Argentina as the 'slum pope' for his work among the poor before he ascended to the papacy, Francis had expressed hopes to one day return but had said unspecified issues needed to be resolved first.



Analysts said he was likely keen to avoid appearing aligned with either the left-leaning Peronists or conservatives in the politically polarized country.