Pope Francis goes back to his roots in visit to northern Italy town

Pope Francis meets with his cousin Carla Rebezzana, as she celebrates her 90th birthday, in Portacomaro, Italy, November 19, 2022. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

PORTACOMARO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Francis went back to his roots on Saturday, visiting the northern area of Italy his ancestors left for Argentina and dropping in on an older cousin to celebrate her 90th birthday.

Francis' father Mario Bergoglio and fraternal grandparents left the then-poor area in 1929 to seek a better life in Argentina. There, his father met and married the future pope's mother, Regina Maria Sivori, also of Italian immigrant stock.