An estimated 2.5 million people attended an open-air mass led by Pope Leo XIV in Buenos Aires on Monday, according to local authorities, marking the largest public gathering of his papacy to date. Crowds stretched for miles along Avenida del Libertador in the Argentine capital, with devoted followers waving Vatican flags and chanting slogans as the US-born pontiff passed by in an open-top popemobile.
Key Takeaways: Approximately 2.5 million people gathered for Pope Leo XIV's historic mass in Buenos Aires; the pontiff directly urged the Argentine regime to protect vulnerable citizens amid sweeping cuts to social and disability services; the demanding South American tour follows the pope's recent lung cancer surgery.
The high-profile visit represents the first trip by a pope to Argentina in nearly four decades, as Pope Leo's predecessor, Francis, never returned to his homeland during his tenure despite being born in the country. The 71-year-old pontiff arrived in Argentina on Sunday following a stop in Uruguay, and is scheduled to travel to Peru before returning to Rome on November 17. The Vatican has characterized the extensive South American tour as a symbolic homecoming, though the rigorous itinerary raises questions given that it takes place less than a month after a major surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from the pope's lung.
Throughout his visit, Pope Leo has delivered pointed messages challenging the economic policies of the Argentine regime, led by President Javier Milei. Prior to the mass, the pontiff visited a care center housing more than 400 people with disabilities, explicitly stating that a nation's progress must be measured by how it treats its most vulnerable populations rather than by raw economic success alone. Since assuming office roughly three years ago, the Milei administration has systematically cut disability services and pushed back against legislative efforts to increase care funding, even after Congress overrode a presidential veto in 2025.
Political tensions remain high as the Argentine Senate prepares to debate next year's disability funding allocations in the coming days. Monday was declared a national holiday to facilitate public participation in the papal event, with President Milei and his sister Karina among the attendees. Observers note that while the mass demonstrated immense popular support for the church, the underlying policy disputes between the Vatican and the executive branch regarding austerity measures remain starkly unresolved.
Source: www.dw.com