Pope Leo XIV departed on Sunday for a three-day Apostolic Visit to Argentina. It is the first papal visit to the South American country in 39 years. Previously, the Pontiff had made a stop in Uruguay. At Aeroparque airport, he was welcomed by President Javier Milei. Representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the Argentine Episcopal Conference were also present to greet him. The visit is a major religious and at the same time social event for the country, reaching well beyond the Catholic community.
The program is packed and combines political, social, and religious stops. First on the schedule is a tribute to the national hero José de San Martín at Plaza San Martín in Buenos Aires. San Martín is considered one of the liberation heroes of South America and is firmly anchored in the collective memory of the country. A meeting with Milei at the seat of government, the Casa Rosada, is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. Afterward, the Pope will speak at the Palacio Libertad before officials, diplomats, and representatives of civil society. The event at the Palacio Libertad thus brings together representatives of the state, the diplomatic corps, and social organizations under one roof.
A focus of the trip is on encounters with people on the margins of society. In Claypole, Leo XIV visits the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, an institution where more than 400 people with disabilities live. The institution stands for a long tradition of care for the weak and sick within the Church in Argentina. At the Devoto prison, the Pope meets around 70 inmates. The encounter with prisoners is a sign of attention to those who are often forgotten by society. At the campus of the Catholic University of Argentina, he also meets with representatives of trade unions, businesses, and the world of work. The conversation with these groups touches on the social tensions of a country that has repeatedly experienced economic crises in recent decades.
Several Masses are at the center of the visit. One takes place at the Monumento a los Españoles in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires. Another is planned on the grounds of the Federación Argentina de Aviones in Córdoba, the country's second-largest city. The trip concludes with a Mass at the Basilica of Luján on Wednesday. Luján is one of Argentina's most important Marian shrines and has drawn pilgrims from across the country for generations. The pilgrimage site thus links the official part of the trip with the popular devotional dimension of Argentine Catholicism.
Authorities expect large crowds. According to official estimates, more than seven million people could attend the events, a considerable share of the country's roughly 46 million inhabitants. For security, the Ministry of Security is coordinating an operation with around 50,000 personnel from the Federal Police, the SIDE intelligence service, the prison service, and the police, under a unified command structure. The Pope is also accompanied by the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Gendarmerie. The operation shows how great the organizational effort is for a visit of this scale, requiring traffic management, barriers, and supplies across several cities.