Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for more than two million people on Wednesday at Argentina’s national shrine of Our Lady of Luján, closing his visit to the country with a call for reconciliation, solidarity and mission.
Wearing blue vestments matching the mantle of the shrine’s statue, the pope reminded the vast congregation that he was elected on May 8, the feast of Our Lady of Luján. “I too wish to take refuge under your mantle,” he said, asking the Virgin to “guide me… in the apostolic mission the Lord has entrusted to me” and to “guide and accompany the Argentine people on their journey.”
“Argentina, rise up and walk!” he declared near the end of his homily, drawing vigorous applause.
The Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján marked the final public event of Leo’s stay in Argentina, part of a Nov. 6-17 apostolic journey that also included Uruguay and Peru. Organizers and Vatican estimates put overall participation in the Argentine leg at around six million people across public events, with additional crowds lining streets.
The pope thanked Argentines for their welcome, saying he had seen “the richness of Argentina—not only in its geography but also in its people… in the creativity, the spontaneity and the life that overflows at every turn.” He praised a culture of hospitality: “In this country there is always a place at the table for the newcomer, time is set aside to chat ‘between sips of mate,’ and a helping hand is extended to those in need.”
He paid special tribute to his Argentine predecessor. “At the house of Our Mother of Luján, my thoughts turn in a special way to our beloved Pope Francis, who always carried the Patroncita Morena in his heart,” Leo said, prompting applause. He recalled Francis’s frequent parting words: “May Jesus bless you and may the holy Virgin watch over you.”
Addressing the country’s challenges, including poverty affecting more than 32 percent of the population, the pope said many people “may currently be living through moments of Calvary, suffering from illness, poverty, unemployment, discrimination or family breakdown.” He linked those experiences to Mary at the foot of the cross and called for processes of forgiveness.
“We also need to reconcile ourselves with our past and present, in order to build a new future where love has the final word,” he said, in a clear allusion to Argentina’s history under military rule.
Earlier on Wednesday, Leo became the first pope to visit a prison in Argentina. In his homily he urged sincerity and conversion: “Let us be sincere, acknowledge our faults and ask the Lord for forgiveness; forgiveness for that beggar, for that tear I caused to fall; forgiveness for those eyes that, when they met mine, I refused to look at.”
He outlined a four-step path for the Christian life—reconciliation, enlightenment by the word of God, communion and mission—and stressed that the Eucharist is open to all, “especially for those who are most in need: the poor and the hungry, migrants, the sick and prisoners.”
“Communion with Christ does not cause us to withdraw into our personal affairs,” he said. “It impels us to be an active part of a community, to share the gifts we have received freely, and to offer what little we have for the good of many.”
After the Mass, President Javier Milei bid the pope farewell at the airport before Leo departed for Lima, Peru, the final leg of his Latin American journey.
