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Pope Leo Draws Record Crowd in Buenos Aires
Confirmed
In Short: Over 2.5 million people gathered for Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Buenos Aires, the largest crowd of his pontificate.
Pope Leo draws 2.5 million to Buenos Aires mass. WPLG Local 10
Over 2.5 million people gathered in Buenos Aires to join Pope Leo XIV for the first papal Mass on Argentine soil in 39 years, marking the largest crowd of his pontificate.
Pope Leo celebrated the Mass after visiting a home for people with disabilities just south of Buenos Aires on Monday.
Marta Lima, a 63-year-old retired teacher, welcomed the Pope's call to 'strengthen family ties,' saying, 'That is precisely what we are missing and, when it is absent, it is the beginning of all forms of violence.'
Pope Leo also met with five victims of abuse committed by members of the clergy or in institutions run by the Catholic Church in Argentina.
The Pope became emotional as he referred to his predecessor, 'our beloved' Pope Francis, and urged parents to pass on their faith to their children 'through the simplest gestures.'
The pontiff's visit to Argentina was met with enthusiasm, with some attendees recalling their missed opportunity to see Pope John Paul II in 1987.
Among those in the front of the crowd was Alejandro Ribeiro, a seminarian from the Diocese of Zárate-Campana, who wore a traditional Argentine gaucho beret and sipped on mate in the hours leading up to the papal Mass.
Catholics in the crowd acknowledged they had been waiting for their former bishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis, to visit, but said they were no less excited to be in the presence of his successor.
The Pope's visit also included a meeting with trade unionists and representatives of social movements at the Argentine Catholic University in Buenos Aires.
What this adds
This event marks the largest gathering of Pope Leo XIV's pontificate to date, surpassing previous Masses in other countries.
Background
Pope Leo XIV paused before the memorial plaque of Pope Francis at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 10, 2026, to pay his respects and honor his predecessor's legacy.
PAYSANDÚ, Uruguay — Pope Leo XIV on Saturday celebrated his first Mass in the Americas since his election as pope, choosing to do so not in a national capital but in a provincial border city, where he lauded and encouraged the simple faith of ordinary people.
What's confirmed
- Pope Leo then celebrated Mass in Buenos Aires, which drew over 2.5 million people — the largest crowd he has hosted to date.
- Leo XIV draws the largest crowd of his pontificate in Buenos Aires, where he also calls for greater protection of vulnerable people and defends workers' rights.
What's still developing
- “In 1987 I couldn’t see John Paul II, so I didn’t want to miss Leo,” said Lidia, 71, who arrived at six in the morning from the Buenos Aires suburbs.
- The Pope arrived in Palermo at around 11.30 a.m., after visiting the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities on the outskirts of the capital.
- His remembrance of Pope Francis, who died last year, was met with a long ovation.
- The crowd stretched for miles down several of Buenos Aires’ wide avenues intersecting at the monument with Argentines wearing hats and sunglasses under the bright sun and enthusiastically waving Vatican and Argentine flags as the popemobile passed by.
Sources
- Breitbart Newslink
- Buenos Aires Timeslink
- MercoPresslink
- OSV Newslink
- The Catholic Telegraphlink
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV Honors Pope Francis at Buenos Aires Cathedral link
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV Celebrates Mass in Uruguay, Encourages Faith link
- WPLG Local 10 — video link
- CBS19 — video link
- WPLG Local 10 — video link
- Forbes Breaking News — video link
- EWTN News — video link
- WPLG Local 10 — video link