Pope's nephew sponsored for funeral travel

Mauro Bergoglio, the Argentine nephew of Pope Francis, revealed Thursday that a private donor paid for his travel to Rome for his uncle’s funeral, after he was not invited by the Argentine government to join the official delegation.

Bergoglio, the son of the late brother of the pope, Oscar Bergoglio, said a businesswoman offered him and his partner tickets after hearing him on an Argentine TV program explain that he could not afford the trip.

"I never asked for a favor; it was offered to me, and the truth is that I accepted because it was the only chance I had to say goodbye," said Mauro, a nurse by profession, speaking to Radio Mitre from Rome.

While Argentina's President Javier Milei and six members of his government are set to travel to Rome, no member of the pope's immediate family, who was born Jorge Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, was included in the official delegation. The omission sparked criticism from political opposition and social media users.

In response, Argentina’s Secretary of Religion, Nahuel Sotelo, clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that he had spoken to the pope’s nephew, who initially ruled out traveling. However, it later emerged that he had been referring to a different nephew — the son of the pope’s last surviving sibling, Maria Elena Bergoglio.

Mauro's sister, Vanesa, took to X to express her disappointment, writing that her brother had "truly wanted to be there" for the funeral of "our last uncle."

"We are not media personalities, we are workers, and like most people, we barely make it to the end of the month," Vanesa wrote in a message quoted by local media before restricting access to her account.

"I am grateful to the media for allowing him to make that trip," she added, referring to the TV program that helped bring attention to his situation.

Pope Francis's other siblings include Alberto Horacio and Marta Regina.