Pope León XIV called on the Church in Argentina to respond to hunger and injustice, while insisting that social action must never be separated from its spiritual mission. Speaking at the Cathedral of Córdoba, dedicated to Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, he addressed bishops, priests, men and women religious, seminarians and pastoral workers during a meeting held as part of his visit to the city.
The welcome was given by Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, archbishop of Córdoba. Among the testimonies shared during the encounter was that of Laura, a consecrated virgin from the diocese of Santo Tomé, who spoke about the gradual loss of her sight. Her words framed the gathering around the personal experience of suffering and faith.
In his address, the pope warned that community commitment to the poor could drift away from the faith that gives it meaning. He cautioned against working for God while spending less time with God, and urged the faithful to nourish their life through prayer, the reading of Scripture and the sacraments. He stressed that the Church is not merely a non-governmental organization or a humanitarian agency, and that its service rests on a relationship with God.
León XIV also called for an ongoing personal conversion, naming hardness of heart and rivalry as obstacles that affect believers and communities alike. Among the concrete problems he listed were unemployment, lack of housing, illness and loneliness. He presented these realities as challenges that the Christian community is bound to confront with concrete responses.
Throughout his remarks, the pope drew on figures from Argentine religious history. He invoked Mama Antula, Cura Brochero and Pope Francis, and cited Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá and Saint Héctor Valdivieso. He also referred to his own recent convalescence in hospital and encouraged the use of technology as a tool for evangelization, a point that resonated with a Church seeking new ways to reach people.
In closing, he urged the building of dynamic parishes and renewed religious communities. He recalled a message from Pope Francis to young Argentines, in which the Church was described as one that «makes noise», a phrase he used to underline the need for a visible and engaged presence in society.
The Cathedral meeting came before a Mass held on the esplanade of the Military Aviation School, which officials estimated drew about 800,000 people. Earlier, the pope had toured the city center in the popemobile, greeting the faithful along the way. The reporting does not specify the exact dates of the visit or its total duration.