Gustavo Vera exchanged hundreds of letters with Francis, having become friends with him when he was still archbishop. He agreed that the pontiff always showed an enduring interest in what was happening in his home country. "Sometimes he commented on soccer, sometimes on tango, sometimes on cultural events," Mr Vera, the leader of La Alameda, an Argentine anti-trafficking and slavery organisation, said. Francis followed Argentine news "in detail", he added. During his papacy, Francis visited four of the five countries that border Argentina - but never his home country, despite continuing to take a keen interest in it. He was loved by many there who now mourn him, but others remember him as a controversial figure. The initial pride felt by most Argentines after the announcement that a fellow countryman would be the first Latin American pope gave way to disenchantment among some over the years. A Pew Research Center survey suggested that the proportion of people who held a positive view of the pontiff fell from 91% in 2013 to 64% in 2024. Of six Latin American countries surveyed, the largest drop in favourable attitudes was recorded in Argentina. Conservatives in Argentina accused him of undermining historical traditions they held sacred, while reformers hoped for more profound changes. Critics felt he failed to do enough to oppose the country's brutal military dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s and to criticise the complicity of some figures in the Church. Every time he was asked about a possible trip, Pope Francis gave vague answers. "I would like to go. It's my people, but it hasn't been planned yet. There are several things to sort out first," he said the last time he was publicly asked about the subject, in September 2024. Some fellow Argentines found this hesitation difficult to understand.