His First Home

After erroneous reports, a historian has finally identified the house in which the future Pope Francis was born.

- Matteo Valsecchi

It was a mystery that would surface every so often: Where was Pope Francis really born on December 17, 1936? Various “sources” (that is, scholars and journalists who reconstructed the life of Pope Francis by looking up documents and meeting with people who knew him) maintained that his childhood home was located at Calle Membrillar in the Flores district. This place has become one of the destinations that is not to be missed by both tourists and the faithful who go to Buenos Aires. It is also the highlight of the “Circuito Papal,” the tour bus that brings visitors to places linked to the Holy Father.

A EUPHORIC MISTAKE

However, there were some lingering doubts: Jorge grew up in that house, yes, but where is actual proof that he really was born there? And now, the mystery has been solved, thanks to the research of Daniel Vargas, a historian from Argentina.

The real house that Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in is located at Avenida Varela 268, still in the same Flores district, just a few meters away from the Pope’s other home located on Membrillar. It is a small, single-story residence, which is painted white these days.

The historian’s research began soon after the election of Pope Francis. “Some witnesses immediately identified the address at Membrillar, so that ended up in all the various biographies. In the general euphoria, however, nobody noticed that it could have been a mistake,” Vargas explains.

SOLID PROOF