Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) - Two million people attended this Monday in Buenos Aires the largest mass of the pontificate of Leo XIV, who defended the validity of the Christian family as "a pillar among the many precariousness of our time."

First modification: 11/09/2026 - 16:34 Last modification: 11/09/2026 - 16:35

The crowd gathered around the Monument to the Spanish in the Palermo neighborhood for the first of three massive meetings scheduled on the Argentine stop of their Latin American trip.

Shouting "Olé olé León León" and waving Argentine and Vatican flags, the faithful gathered together, forming a corridor of more than two kilometers on the very wide Del Libertador Avenue through which León passed in his popemobile.

In his homily, the energetic 71-year-old pontiff, who just three weeks ago underwent surgery for lung cancer, said that the Christian family "today more than ever represents a pillar among the many precariousness of our time."

In addition, he called on parents to transmit the faith to their children "with the simplest gestures" such as "a blessing before eating, a prayer before going to sleep, forgiveness and mutual listening."

Thousands of people lined up since dawn to be among the first to enter and stand in front of the fence located about 100 meters from the stage, AFP confirmed.

Millions

About two million people attended the mass, city government sources told AFP. The majority had to follow the homily through one of the 33 giant screens arranged by the organization on the premises.

Groups of faithful arrived in buses organized by their parishes. On some corners, young people with guitars cheered up the wait with songs and clapping.

Near the entrances there were tents selling souvenirs: t-shirts, caps, pennants and even alfajores and dulce de leche with the face of the pope.

"What we need most is unity, we are so divided," said Soledad Troncoso, a 67-year-old retiree who arrived from Wilde, on the southern outskirts, with her sister and several neighbors, on the verge of crying. "May his word endure, may it bring blessing to this country where so much is suffered."

Many traveled from further away, from provinces such as Misiones and Corrientes (northeast) or Chubut or Río Negro, in Patagonia (south).

"We want him to bring grace to this suffering Latin America. He, who follows in the footsteps of Francis and loves these mistreated people," Carolina Lontero, a 63-year-old retired nurse who arrived with a group of 64 people from Paraguay, told AFP, referring to the late Argentine pope.

Disability

The pontiff made a first stop during the morning at the Cottolengo Don Orione, a charity house for people with disabilities on the southern outskirts of Buenos Aires, where he warned that the progress of a country is measured by the inclusion of those most in need.

The institution houses 410 adults with disabilities. The vast majority do not receive visits from family or friends.

"The progress of a nation is also measured by the welcome it knows how to provide to all people with disabilities and special needs," said the pontiff.

President Javier Milei is criticized for the harsh adjustment policies that affect this population since he took office in December 2023.

After negotiations in which the Catholic Church participated, the ruling party and the opposition agreed on a project to guarantee the financing of benefits. Deputies approved it in October and it still needs to be voted on in the Senate.

In his speech, Leo

About 3,000 people attended his meeting in Cottolengo, in the town of Claypole, and about 100,000 were stationed on both sides of the path he was going to walk to receive him, Vatican sources said based on figures from local authorities.

The agenda of the pope's second day in Argentina will continue with a meeting with unionists and representatives of social movements at the Argentine Catholic University in Buenos Aires.

© 2026 AFP

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