SW News: Pope Francis stated that he intends to visit Argentina soon. He has not visited Argentina since being chosen as St. Peter's successor in 2013. The Holy Father told the Argentine newspaper La Nación, "I want to go to the country next year."

The Holy Father said, "I always wanted to return to the homeland. Please don't associate me with Argentine politics.” Pope Francis revealed in an interview with Infobae a month ago that his trip to Argentina was originally scheduled for 2017, but it was postponed because of various reasons.

The pontiff would visit the nation if the trip were to take place after the presidential elections in October 2023. Additionally, Pope Francis informed La Nacion that the selection process for Cardinal Mario Poli, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, whose resignation has already been accepted, is currently underway.

The Holy Father stated that he could only anticipate that there are three strong candidates, but added that “I cannot name anyone because only one will be appointed."

"I must consider the views of the Vatican's administrative bodies and the cardinals in charge of those bodies. It's not a personal decision," he stated.

Pope Francis also defended St. John Paul II. He said that in addition to being a saint after his death, John Paul II was also a saint during his life. Pope Wojtyla's integrity is beyond question, the Holy Father declared.

In response to new claims in the case of Emanuela Orlandi, a 15-year-old girl who vanished in 1983 and whose whereabouts are still unknown. Emanuela Orlandi was the offspring of a former Vatican official. She was abducted in Piazza Navona. The so-called "Orlandi case" has acquired attention once again as a result of a recent Netflix documentary, although it makes no mention of the supposed guilt of the Polish Pope.

The Holy Father also remembered Benedict XVI, who passed away on December 31, 2022. "I always had only good advice. More often than is known, we saw one another, especially recently when it was clear that his health was irreversibly declining,” he said.