Pope Leo XIV Visits Argentina, Francis’ Homeland, for First Trip in 39 Years
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina brings him to the homeland of his predecessor, Francis, who never returned during his 12 years as pope. The
Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina brings him to the homeland of his predecessor, Francis, who never returned during his 12 years as pope. The trip is the first papal visit to the country in 39 years and comes as Leo’s public comments on President Javier Milei’s austerity policies have drawn scrutiny.
Leo arrived in Buenos Aires after starting his South American tour in Uruguay. His itinerary includes a stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, about 70 kilometers from the capital, on November 11, according to Archbishop Jorge Eduardo Scheinig of Mercedes-Luján.
The visit carries particular weight in a country where Francis was born and where Leo’s reception has been enthusiastic. About 2.5 million people lined Buenos Aires streets to see him at an open-air Mass on Monday, according to the reported crowd estimate.
“The mood from the public about his visit is overwhelmingly positive,” said Justin McLellan, a Vatican correspondent who was in the capital. One attendee described the visit as important for national unity and for reaffirming faith in the Catholic Church.
Francis’s absence from Argentina during his papacy gives Leo’s trip added significance. The current pope is making the return to the country his predecessor did not, while beginning to establish his own relationship with its people and institutions.
That relationship has a political dimension. The day before the Mass, Leo made remarks that observers interpreted as criticism of Milei’s sharp spending cuts, reductions to social services and elimination of thousands of public-sector jobs.
Some Milei supporters argued online that the pope had crossed a boundary. Leo’s comments also come as he resumed duties after cancer surgery, according to the reports.
Church and government officials finalized arrangements for the visit, including security, transport, communications and the itinerary. After Argentina, Leo is due to travel to Peru, where he spent much of his missionary career and served as Bishop of Chiclayo.
At Luján, the 38-centimeter statue of the country’s patron saint has drawn pilgrims for nearly 400 years. Scheinig said the Argentine people stand ready to welcome the pope “with open arms.”
