Buenos Aires' poor neighborhoods mourn 'slum pope' Francis


  • World
  • Thursday, 24 Apr 2025

FILE PHOTO: People attend Mass at the Virgen de Caacupe chapel, following the death of Pope Francis, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 21, 2025. REUTERS/Matias Baglietto/File Photo

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - In the poor Zabaleta district of Buenos Aires, amidst precarious houses and narrow alleys, María Ayala walks the same streets Pope Francis walked during his years as a priest to reach the local parish, which is now opening its doors to remember him.

"He was with us for a long time; we worked here inside the church. He cooked food with me," said Ayala, a 76-year-old retiree, with tears in her eyes as she held a statue of Francis at the entrance to the parish in Zabaleta, also known as 'Villa 21-24', in the Argentine capital city.

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