He was the Pope for the whole world’ – Buenos Aires residents bid farewell to the late pontiff at his youth church. Thousands gathered at San Jose de Flores Basilica in Buenos Aires—where a young Jorge Mario Bergoglio once discovered his vocation—to mourn the passing of Pope Francis, who died early Monday at the age of 88.

The Mass, led by Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva, brought together a multitude of faithful in the very church where the future pontiff first felt called to serve God. Among those in attendance was Vice President Victoria Villarruel.

“This crowd of people in this parish where Francis served when he was a parish priest, when he was Jorge Mario Bergoglio, we were very lucky to get to know him,” said Juan Ali, one of the attendees.

During his homily, Archbishop García Cuerva remembered Pope Francis as ‘the father of all’ and urged Argentinians to pursue national reconciliation in tribute to his memory.

“He was the Pope for the whole world, and we have to acknowledge that many will now say, ‘We had a Pope and we didn’t know how to appreciate him,” added Juan Ali, another worshipper present at the service.

“Our Pope died, and our ‘papa’ died. Right? Because he was truly a spiritual father to each of us,” said another worshiper Eduardo.

The Mass in Flores was just one of many commemorative ceremonies held across Argentina to honour the first Latin American Pope. The government has declared seven days of national mourning, and President Javier Milei has suspended his schedule to travel to Rome and attend the funeral.

Pope Francis’ funeral will be held in St Peter’s Square, after which he will be laid to rest in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, in accordance with his express wishes.

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