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Pope Leo Meets with Abuse Survivors and Visits Care Home in Argentina
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XIV met privately with five abuse survivors and praised a care home for disabled people in Argentina.
Pope Leo meets with crowds on tour in Argentina. NBC News
Pope Leo XIV met privately with five people who were abused by clergy or Church institutions in Argentina, listening to their experiences for over an hour, the Holy See Press Office reported.
During his visit to Argentina, Pope Leo also praised the work of a care home for disabled people in Claypole, a suburb south of Buenos Aires.
The pope emphasized the importance of charity and inclusion, stating, “that Argentina may be capable of performing great works of charity, such as we see here, where the love of Christ triumphs over individualism and exclusion.”
Brother Jorge Silanes, the home’s director, said they would remove the pews to accommodate more wheelchairs, highlighting the institution’s commitment to inclusivity.
The Cottolengo care home, described as a “city of charity,” faces financial difficulties due to delays and shortfalls in state funding, according to leaders of Argentina’s bishops’ conference.
Pope Leo’s visit to the care home and his meeting with abuse survivors were seen as significant humanitarian gestures, reflecting his commitment to social justice and support for the vulnerable.
Bishop Jorge Lugones of Lomas de Zamora, whose diocese includes Claypole, called Pope Leo’s choice “a very strong sign for Argentine society.”
Sandra Pettovello, Argentina’s minister of human capital, emphasized that Pope Leo would address pastoral concerns and the protection of the vulnerable, but would not intervene in domestic politics.
The pope’s trip to Argentina marks a homecoming of sorts, as he previously served as an Augustinian missionary in Peru and was later appointed bishop of Chiclayo.
Pope Leo’s actions and gestures were rooted in the spirit of direct acts of charity, rather than being driven by local politics, according to observers.
The visit to the Federal Penitentiary Complex in Buenos Aires is also part of the Argentine leg of the trip, highlighting the pope’s focus on humanitarian importance.
What this adds
Pope Leo’s visit to Argentina includes a retrace of his missionary steps, as he previously served in Peru and was later appointed bishop there.
Background
Pope Leo XIV met with delegations from Villanova and Notre Dame university basketball teams at the Vatican.
What's confirmed
- Catholic faithful hold an Argentine flag bearing images of the late Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV as they wait for Pope Leo XIV to arrive to celebrate Mass at Parque Paris Londres in Paysandu, Uruguay, Saturday, Nov.
What's still developing
- “The values of dignity, belonging, and fraternal friendship that distinguish places like this have much to say to our societies, which are often driven solely by the pursuit of economic success or the cult of outward appearance,” Leo said to assembled residents and caregivers at the home, located in a lower-income suburb south of Buenos Aires.
- In his May encyclical, “ Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo wrote that society’s “rejected stones” — including “the poor, the sick, the migrants and the least among us” — must become its cornerstone.
- Addressing the authorities, civil society and diplomatic corps on Sunday at the Palacio Libertad in Buenos Aires, in his first address on Argentine soil, Pope Leo XIV outlined the responsibilities of those entrusted with public office.
- Francis' message of social justice and support for the curas villeros — who are perceived as being aligned with Argentina's national-populist movement known as Peronism (something they deny) — caused many to see the late pope as much a politician as a pastor, according to observers.
- ROME — Pope Leo XIV will retrace his steps as a missionary priest when he returns home to Peru in November in his longest trip to date that will also take him to Uruguay and Argentina, where his Argentine predecessor Pope Francis never returned.
- Leo will also honor Argentina’s patron, Our Lady of Lujan, on the second, Argentine leg of the trip.
Sources
- Ewtnnewslink
- Kdhnewslink
- Telegraphheraldlink
- Oskaloosalink
- Goshennewslink
- OSV Newslink
- Vaticannewslink
- Chicagocatholiclink
- Eagletribunelink
- Newspressnowlink
- Exaudilink
- Ncronlinelink
- Chicagotribunelink
- WarpBeat — background on Pope Leo XIV Meets Villanova and Notre Dame Basketball Teams link
- NBC News — video link
- EWTN News — video link
- WPLG Local 10 — video link
- EWTN News — video link