In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Leo’s Visit Keeps Pope Francis’s Legacy Close

Pope Leo XIV spoke at vespers at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Buenos Aires on November 9, 2026, during his November 6-17 apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Reporting on the visit noted that Buenos Aires is the hometown of Pope Francis, and one report framed the trip as Leo building on his predecessor’s social justice message.

In a meeting with representatives of the labor community in Buenos Aires, Leo cited the three “T’s” of social justice: *tierra, techo y trabajo*, meaning land, housing and work. Reporting on the visit described this emphasis as a continuation of the late pope’s concern for the poor, a point that reflects care for the vulnerable (Micah 6:8).

According to one report, the pope presided over two Masses, in Córdoba and in Buenos Aires. That same report said his Latin American tour was continuing until November 17, and it described the trip as an effort to renew Catholic momentum in the region.

Christian Century reported that Leo celebrated Mass on the grounds of the Monumento de los Españoles in Buenos Aires on a Monday, drawing a crowd of 2.5 million, the largest of his papacy so far. A Taiwanese news report described an open-air Mass in Buenos Aires that filled the entire Liberation Avenue, and it said 2.5 million people were recorded, including the Argentine president, whom the report identified as Mirei. A Singtao report gave a different total, saying Argentina attracted 6 million people to the visit, though the figure appeared in a summary that did not clearly specify whether it referred only to the Mass.

On November 11, the pope visited the Villa Devoto Federal Penitentiary in Buenos Aires, where he spoke with inmates and urged them to transform their lives. Catholic Times reported that this was his final day in Argentina before he departed for Peru.

Reports differed on the closing events. Singtao reported that the open-air Mass at the Holy Mother of Luján, Argentina’s most important Catholic pilgrimage site, concluded the pope’s trip to Argentina. Annahar described the closing Mass at the Church of Luján as a divine service that was expected to draw millions of attendees, and it described Argentina as the closing leg of a 12-day tour of South America. Singtao, citing Reuters, also reported that Leo ended a three-day visit to Peru, but the sources did not agree on the length of the full tour, and the Luján Mass was reported as the final event of the Argentine portion of the journey.