Chronicle: The Vatican under my shadow

• Lea el artículo original en español.

On February 10, I sent a request to the Vatican Press Office to interview Pope Francis. Three days later, they responded, denying the request and explaining that the Holy See receives numerous inquiries and could not find “satisfactory criteria for a selection”. A somewhat odd response — but understandable at the same time

At that point, I didn’t know that the following day Bergoglio would be admitted to Gemelli Hospital in Rome due to a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, from which he would remain hospitalized for over a month.
As the weeks went by, I realized the Pope wouldn’t be in any condition to give interviews; even if he were discharged, he would need considerable time to recover.

I decided to take a trip and found a cheap flight with a stopover in Rome. I took advantage of the opportunity and stayed at least a day in the Eternal City to check for any updates regarding the Jubilee Year and the upcoming Easter.

I left Rome unaware that the Pope would die a week later. I won’t say it was sudden, as Francis has struggled with health issues since his youth — especially those related to his lungs.

This reminds me of what happened in 2022, when I traveled to Rome for the first time. Back then, I wasn’t so focused on getting an interview with Pope Francis, but rather with another figure who had strongly caught my attention: the emeritus Pope Benedict XVI.

I knew that Ratzinger had stepped away from public life after his resignation and was living in the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery inside Vatican City. I wanted to interview him — or at least exchange a few words — during a possible meeting, hoping to bring forth a message of humanity given the global situation, particularly the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
I didn’t want to waste my time in the Italian capital without gaining something meaningful as a journalist. I tried. But unfortunately, I didn’t know that just two weeks later, the not-so-beloved Benedict XVI would die on the last day of that year.

Curiously, that same day I attended the last Mass of the year led by Francis, during which he also spoke about Ratzinger’s death. One pope bidding farewell to another — something never seen before. It marked the end of the era of two popes.

That’s how I saw Pope Francis for the first and only time, somewhat up close. He entered in a wheelchair, in total silence, into a completely packed basilica filled with many Spanish speakers.

The Argentinians didn’t hold back — they proudly wore their national football shirts. Just one word was enough to know where they were from. I remember that after the Te Deum, Bergoglio decided to walk around St. Peter’s Square, surprising the faithful and tourists alike.

This has made me think a lot. I’d like to believe that my visits to Rome — and my interview requests — are just coincidences that happened to align with the deaths of both popes, and not some kind of omen for the papacy or the Holy See.

I know that right now, the nation grieving the most is neither the Vatican nor Italy, but Argentina — the country that gave birth to the first Latin American pope. I doubt a Latino will be elected again anytime soon. I have a hunch about the new pope: I think the next Supreme Pontiff will be Italian or from somewhere in Asia.

The difference between Francis and Benedict XVI was their charisma and their way of reaching people. I don’t know if that’s a characteristic of all Germans, but they do tend to be a bit more reserved. We Latinos, on the other hand, are more open and expressive. We don’t hide much. We are simpler and more pragmatic, as Bergoglio demonstrated — like any good Latino.