Post by ROME REPORTS.
NBC News
With what credentials did John Paul II and Benedict XVI travel to other countries? As head of state for the Vatican City? No doubt Francis will do the same, and it is said that Benedict XVI also kept his German passport. Therefore, one should not see the renewal of his passport as a repudiation of the sovereign status of Vatican City. Still, if the pope were to renounce his political independence, should he not then be a citizen of Rome or the Italian state, if he is bishop of Rome? Where should his political loyalties be? To another polity or state or people? The pope, like all Christians, should love all, but if we hold to the order of charity, his political community would have priority over other political communities.
Edit. There is a "second-hand" report circulating that Pope Francis did indeed express his desire to travel using his Argentinian passport: BERGOGLIO, Jorge Mario. Is the source reliable? If so, does Pope Francis intend to do so and not use his official credentials as the head of Vatican City at all? Does Francis's decision, then, differ from what Benedict did? (I have not found "official" confirmation that Benedict XVI retrained his German passport but did not use it; this "fact" was repeated by various people on posts about Francis's renewal of his Argentinian passport.)
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