Don’t cry for him Argentina, but Pope Francis hopes to die in Rome.
“I am not going back to Argentina.” the 84-year-old pontiff told Argentine journalist and doctor Nelson Castro, who is publishing a book on Monday about the health of recent popes, dating back to Leo XIII, who led the world’s Roman Catholics from 1878 to 1903.
Pope Francis told Fidel that he thinks about death, but when asked if he fears death, he replied, “Absolutely not,” according to America Magazine, a publication of the Pope’s religious order, the Jesuits.
Francisco also told Castro that he hopes to die “in Rome, as pope or emeritus”. He also made it clear that he would be buried in the eternal city and would not return to be buried in Buenos Aires, where he spent most of his life.
The pope recently suffered attacks of sciatica that hinder his standing position, causing some concern among the faithful. He missed several services around the New Year because of the hip pain caused by the chronic illness.
Francis told Castro about his experience with removing upper lobe cysts from his right lung in 1957, when he was 21 years old. He said he “never felt any limitation” of this condition after his recovery from surgery, which some people mistakenly believe has led to the removal of the entire lung.
He also talked about his weekly visits with a psychologist during the 1970s, when he talked about helping people escape the Argentine military dictatorship, and she helped him deal with the tensions and fears he experienced at that time. He sometimes still suffers from what he called “neurotic anxiety”, which he deals with by listening to Bach or drinking “mate”, a popular Argentine herbal drink.
Francisco, along with former Pope Benedict XVI, received the COVID-19 vaccine in January.