After becoming the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis never went back to his home country of Argentina. However, some local believers think he sent a farewell message home in the most unlikely—yet possibly most fitting—way.
Francis was a lifetime soccer lover, a card-carrying member of his favorite team, San Lorenzo, and an occasional youth goalie.
And Buenos Aires is talking about the number on that card.
“It must be fate,” said Ramiro Rodríguez, who showed up for a Mass honoring Francis’ life at a little chapel that serves as the club’s spiritual birthplace while sporting a rosary over his team shirt.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, a “regular member,” is given the number that is making headlines.
