Oscar Crespo was watching TV in his native Buenos Aires when he saw the white smoke appearing above the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican: a new pope was elected.

Francis never gave an explicit answer for not returning as pontiff to his native country, but some experts say he worried about having his presence used for political purposes.

Though Pope Francis never returned to Argentina after becoming the head of the Roman Catholic Church, mourners in his homeland still gathered nationwide to honor him.