FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis appears on a balcony, on the day of the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and to the world) message at St. Peter's Square, on Easter Sunday, in the Vatican, April 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentines held a special Mass and lit candles on Monday, mourning in shock for their countryman Pope Francis, who has died after battling serious illness in recent months.
The Mass was held in the cathedral in Buenos Aires, where Francis was once archbishop. The building was adorned with a photo of the pontiff, bunches of white flowers and the blue and white flag of Argentina.
The government said there would be seven days of mourning.
"The pope of the poor has left us, the pope of the marginalized," said Jorge Garcia Cuerva, now archbishop of Buenos Aires, referring to Francis' time working in the city's poor districts that led to his nickname, the "slum pope".
"He insisted on building bridges, he insisted that we live in universal brotherhood. The pope was our father, the father of the poor, the father of mercy. The best tribute we Argentines can pay to Francis is to unite."
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents, Francis was the first Latin American pope. Some in his homeland regretted that he never returned as pontiff, but there were plaudits for his focus on the poor and his liberal reforms.
"The pope's death is going to really leave a mark of pain in people's hearts," resident Nicolas Cordoba said in downtown Buenos Aires.
"It hurts me a lot because I remember mostly his words in support of bisexuals and homosexuals. It literally hurts me."
Argentina's presidential office praised Francis' focus on inter-religious dialogue, building up spirituality amongst the young and cost-cutting in the Vatican, something that tallies with President Javier Milei's "chainsaw" austerity.
'FAREWELL TO THE HOLY FATHER'
Milei, a bombastic free-market economist, had clashed with the pope, lambasting him as a socialist and even calling him the devil's representative on earth, but once he took office at the end of 2023 he patched things up.
"Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a true honor for me," Milei said on X. "I bid farewell to the Holy Father and stand with all of us today dealing with this sad news."
In the early morning outside Buenos Aires cathedral, people were finding out the news en route to work.
"It's such a shame because he fought for a lot of rights," said Julia Castro, 42, a worker in the city.
Some people lit candles outside the cathedral.
"It's such a great sadness," said Agustin Hartridge, adding that he had watched images of the pope making a public appearance for Easter Sunday.
"Yesterday I saw him very deteriorated, but I had faith and I had hoped that he would make it."
(Reporting by Lucila Sigal and Miguel Lo BiancoWriting by Adam JourdanEditing by Andrew Cawthorne and Frances Kerry)
