Pope Leo Argentina Visit: Vast Crowds, Milei and Peru Next
Pope Leo XIV is wrapping up a four-day visit to Argentina that has drawn some of the largest crowds of his papacy, with an estimated 2.5 million people at his Mass in Buenos Aires on Monday and about 650,000 in the central city of Córdoba on Tuesday 10 November 2026. On Wednesday 11 November he celebrates a final Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján before flying to Peru, the country where he served as a missionary for nearly two decades.
The trip, his first to Argentina as pope, has mixed huge public celebrations with pointed messages for the country’s politicians. Here is what happened, what he said to President Javier Milei’s government and what comes next.
Why Is Pope Leo XIV Visiting Argentina?
Argentina is the middle leg of an 11-day South American tour that began in Uruguay on 6 November and ends in Peru on 17 November, according to the Vatican’s official programme. Argentina holds special significance for the Catholic Church as the home country of Pope Francis, who died in 2025 and never returned there as pope. Leo XIV, born in Chicago, is the first pope from the United States, and his visit has been watched closely across the Americas.
What Did the Pope Say to Argentina’s Leaders?
In his first speech on Argentine soil, at the Palacio Libertad in Buenos Aires on Sunday, the pope urged political leaders to put “the common good” above immediate interests, Vatican News reported. “Authority is most authentic when it is exercised as service, when it looks beyond the immediate, and when it uses its power to promote the welfare of all,” he said.
He called for economic policies that stimulate private initiative while ensuring that growth “also benefits those who are disadvantaged”, and he asked why so many young Argentines feel they must emigrate. “A nation must seriously ask itself where it has failed when its young people have to leave their homeland to make their dreams come true,” he said. He also warned that “corruption undermines the confidence of citizens in their institutions” and called for regional cooperation against organised crime and drug trafficking.
How Did the Meeting With Javier Milei Go?
The pope met Milei privately at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace, on Sunday. Argentine media, including TN, reported that the conversation lasted about 40 minutes and touched on the moral foundations of politics and natural law, with the president’s sister Karina Milei also present. Asked about the pope’s speech, Milei said he did not want to drag the Holy Father into “the base debate of local politics”, Clarín reported. The pope did not name Milei or any political party in his address.
How Big Were the Crowds in Buenos Aires and Córdoba?
Euronews, citing estimates from the visit, reported that about 2.5 million people turned out for the pope in Buenos Aires on Monday, and around 650,000 attended Tuesday’s Mass at the Military Aviation School in Córdoba. Pilgrims drove for hours from Patagonia in the south and the far north. Córdoba had not hosted a pope for almost 40 years.
In his homily, Leo XIV urged Argentines to follow the example of the country’s saints, including the “Gaucho priest” St José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero and “Mama Antula”, Argentina’s first female saint. “We are all called to holiness,” he said. He later surprised crowds by appearing on the balcony of the archbishop’s residence, the same one used by St John Paul II in 1987, telling them: “United, we can do anything.”
What Is Happening Today in Luján?
The pope’s final day was scheduled to begin with a visit to the Buenos Aires Federal Penitentiary Complex, followed by a 10 a.m. Mass in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, Argentina’s most important pilgrimage site, according to the Buenos Aires Herald and the Vatican. An official farewell ceremony at Ezeiza is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. local time, with his flight to Lima due to leave at 2 p.m.
What Happens Next in Peru?
The Peru leg runs until 17 November and is deeply personal for the pope: Leo XIV spent many years as a missionary and bishop there, including in Chiclayo. The Vatican programme includes meetings with Peru’s bishops in Lima, a gathering in front of Lima’s cathedral, a return to Chiclayo and visits to Cusco and Pucallpa in the Amazon.
For more on the region’s politics, see our coverage of the removal of Paraguay’s president, one of the biggest stories in South America this month.
Featured image: Pope Leo XIV at a general audience in St Peter’s Square, March 2026, by Estonian Foreign Ministry / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. File photo.
- Euronews — Pope Leo XIV draws huge crowds in Córdoba after record Buenos Aires mass (10 November 2026).
- Vatican News — Pope Leo urges Argentina’s leaders to put common good before political interests (8 November 2026).
- Buenos Aires Herald — Vatican reveals itinerary for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina in November.
- Holy See Press Office — Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru (6-17 November 2026): Programme.
- TN — La intimidad de la reunión entre León XIV y Javier Milei en la Casa Rosada (8 November 2026).
- Clarín — “No quiero poner al Santo Padre en el debate rastrero de la política local”: Milei evitó opinar sobre el discurso del Papa.
