Mass honors Pope Francis in Argentina, archbishop uses tribute to urge dialogue

Archbishop Marcelo Colombo used a mass marking one year since the death of Pope Francis on Tuesday (April 21) to deliver a message of social self-criticism, dialogue and defence of the late Argentine pontiff's legacy at the Basilica of Lujan.

Colombo said many Argentines had come to regret not having treated Francis well and had been "petty as a society" and even as a Church by failing to embrace his proposals.

He also said, according to his homily, that although Francis never returned to Argentina as pope, he believed the pontiff "never fully left his homeland." 

The ceremony drew senior political figures including Chief of Cabinet Manuel Adorni, Buenos Aires province Governor Axel Kicillof and Chamber of Deputies President Martin Menem.

According to the additional information provided, Colombo's homily became the central element of the tribute and called for Argentines to "build a homeland of brothers" amid division, indifference and lack of dialogue.

Francis, the first Latin American pope and a native of Argentina, remained a deeply influential and sometimes divisive figure in his home country throughout his papacy.

-Miguel Lo Bianco, Claudia Martini, Hugo Monnet/Reuters