Meet Pope Francis very modern family including a niece who thinks religion is outdated and soccer pro

Pope Francis will be mourned by the world Saturday — but only one of his relatives is expected to attend his funeral.Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future pontiff was the oldest of five children born to the former Regina Maria Sivori and Mario Jose Francisco, Italian immigrants who raised the family in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His only living sibling, Maria Elena Bergoglio, 77, last saw her older brother in March 2013, before he left for Rome to attend the conclave and ultimately become the head of the Catholic Church, Argentinian news outlet ¡Hola! reported. Maria Elena did not go to Rome for Francis’ inauguration, as “my brother asked us to save money and use it for charitable works,” she said at the time.She is currently in poor health, and living among nuns who care for her, the outlet reported. Her son and Francis’ nephew, José Bergoglio, said his family wouldn’t travel to Rome for his uncle’s funeral proceedings, according to an X post on Wednesday  by Argentina’s Secretary of Worship and Civilization, Nauel Sotelo.“José told me that he and his mother’s decision was to follow the Holy Father’s example and that they had never considered traveling, as they believe it is the best way to honor Francis’ memory,” Sotelo wrote. Maria Elena’s daughter and Francis’ niece, Cristina Bergoglio, a famous artist based in Madrid, Spain, confessed in a 2014 interview that she’s not religious, calling the church “outdated.”But another of Francis’ nephews, Mauro Bergoglio, is expected to be on hand in Italy as the Pope is buried in the Basilica of St.Mary Major — thanks to a private donor who is paying for him and his wife to travel, according to La Nación.

Mauro, son of Francis’ late brother Oscar, said he was offered tickets by travel agency owner Rita Mattiello, who heard him say on an Argentinian news broadcast that he could not afford the trip.“It broke my heart to hear that he couldn’t travel,” Mattiello told La...