Before becoming Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio was just another neighbor of Buenos Aires. He walked around Flores where he lived, took the A subway and was known to talk to whoever he met. This April 21 Pope Francis passed away and there is no shortage of articles about him and his legacy. As a citizen of Buenos Aires, he undoubtedly left his mark. Therefore, we propose a tour of his neighborhoods, his Buenos Aires corners and the phrases that made him go down in history.
Pope Francis’ neighborhood and the places where he left his mark
1. The neighborhood of Flores, its streets and his birth house
Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Flores on December 17, 1936. The house where Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires is a typical house of the neighborhood, with a classic style facade and representative of the middle class houses of the early twentieth century. Although the house where Pope Francis lived cannot be visited and is not open to the public, you can see a plaque that marks the place as the “cradle of the first Latin American pope”.
Pope Francis’ house in Flores 📍Membrillar 531, Flores neighborhood.
2. San José de Flores Church
The church of San José de Flores is a huge church on Rivadavia Avenue and is a place where Pope Francis left his mark in Buenos Aires because it is the place where he began his career in the church. It is said that in one of its confessionals, and at only 17 years old, Jorge Bergoglio felt the call of God and years later, he left the church one day knowing that he was going to be a priest.
The church of San José de Flores can be visited, in addition to its value as a place where Pope Francis left his mark, the church as a historic building retains original elements of that time.
📍6950 Rivadavia Avenue, Flores
3. Immaculate Conception School
During his formation as a Jesuit, Jorge Bergoglio taught literature and psychology. The Inmaculada Concepción School in the Montserrat neighborhood is part of the network of Jesuit schools in the city and, in fact, preserves documents and records of Pope Francis’ time as a teacher.
📍Santa Fe 1674
4. Librería Clásica y Moderna
This porteño café-bookstore is famous for being frequented by intellectuals, artists and, it is also said, by the then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, long before he became the first Latin American Pope. There is no trace of the Pope’s passing in Clásica y Moderna that you can visit, but it is a great place to sit and read, have a good coffee or browse its bookstore.
📍Callao 892
5. San Lorenzo Athletic Club
This is well known, but Pope Francis was an active member of San Lorenzo from a young age and a die-hard fan of the team. So much so that the club gave him an honorary membership card after he was elected Pope in 2013, and the Club retains his original membership card. Jorge Bergoglio used to use sports as a metaphor for teamwork and humility.
📍Perito Moreno Av. and Varela, Bajo Flores
The phrases that marked his legacy
Pope Francis was not only heard by his actions, but also by his way of saying things. If you don’t know some of the phrases that marked his life as Pope, these are a great summary:
👉”Who am I to judge?”: He used this phrase in reference to LGBTQ+ people and it was interpreted as a gesture of openness that went around the world.
👉 “Make a mess”: this phrase he said to young people during a World Youth Day.
👉 “Time is superior to space.”
👉 “Reality is more important than the idea”: this phrase could be on an alternative rock album, right?
👉 “Hope is bold”: For him, to have faith was not to stand still, but to dare to imagine a different future.