Pope Francis says he has not yet decided if he will travel to Argentina in the next year, though the desire to do so remains.
The 87-year-old pontiff made the remarks during a mid-flight press conference with Vatican reporters during his lengthy return flight from a 12-day tour of Asia and the Pacific.
“Whether I will go to Argentina is something that has not yet been decided. I would like to go, it is my people, but it has not yet been decided. First we have to resolve several things,” he replied in a response to a question about a potential visit.
The Pope has previously spoken of his intention to visit Argentina. In April this year, during a lengthy interview, he revealed that he wanted to visit his homeland in 2025.
In previous interviews, he revealed that he initially planned to visit his homeland in November 2017, but that a change in circumstances prevented him from making the trip. He instead ended up travelling to Chile and Peru and, as a result, has never visited Argentina as pontiff.
Francis returned to Rome on Friday after a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific, defying health concerns to connect with believers from the jungle of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore.
The papal plane carrying the 87-year-old pontiff touched down in Rome, bringing to a close the pontiff’s longest trip in duration and distance since becoming head of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics more than 11 years ago.
The Pope's epic four-nation voyage was believed by some to be foolhardy, if not impossible, for someone plagued in recent years by health issues, from knee pain and sciatica forcing him to use a wheelchair to recent bouts of flu and bronchitis.
But the successful voyage and his rapturous welcome in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore clearly energised the pontiff – who nevertheless at times struggled to keep his eyes open during late-night liturgical readings, or to appear engaged during formal military parades.
In a lively, final inter-religious meeting in Singapore on Friday, the pope joked with young people in the audience, urging them to respect other beliefs, avoid being "slaves" to technology and to escape their comfort zones.
"Don't let your stomach get fat, but let your head get fat," the pope said, raising a laugh from the crowd.
"I say take risks, go out there," he said. "A young person that is afraid and does not take risks is an old person."
The historic tour, initially planned for 2020 but postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic, included 43 hours of flight time and a distance of 32,000 kilometres (20,000 miles).
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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