Buenos Aires, Argentina — Mauro Bergoglio, the nephew of the late Pope Francis, has confirmed that he was able to travel to Rome for his uncle’s funeral thanks to a private donor—after receiving no assistance or invitation from the Argentine government.
In an interview from Rome with Radio Mitre, Mauro, a nurse by profession and son of the pope’s late brother Oscar Bergoglio, shared that he had no financial means to attend the funeral until a businesswoman stepped in. She had seen his television interview in which he revealed he couldn’t afford the trip, and offered to pay for his and his partner’s tickets.
“I never asked for anything. It was offered to me, and I accepted it because it was the only way I could say goodbye,” he said.
President Javier Milei and six members of his cabinet are scheduled to attend the funeral in an official capacity. However, the absence of any member of the pope’s family in the government delegation sparked criticism from opposition leaders and netizens.
Adding to the confusion, Argentina’s Secretary of Religion, Nahuel Sotelo, said on social media that he had spoken to the pope’s nephew, who supposedly declined the invitation to travel. It was later clarified that Sotelo had spoken to a different nephew—one of the children of the pope’s sister, Maria Elena Bergoglio—not Mauro.
Vanesa Bergoglio, Mauro’s sister, also spoke out online, expressing frustration over the situation. “My brother truly wanted to be there for the funeral of our last uncle,” she wrote in a now-private post. “We’re not media personalities. We’re workers. Like most people, we barely make it to the end of the month.”
She thanked the TV program that helped bring attention to their situation, which eventually led to the unexpected act of generosity that made Mauro’s attendance possible.
The Vatican has declared nine days of mourning for Pope Francis, who died earlier this week. He will be laid to rest in a simple, unadorned tomb, in accordance with his wishes.
