Tens of thousands gathered along Buenos Aires' Avenida del Libertador on Monday ahead of Pope Leo XIV's outdoor Mass, and city officials estimated attendance could top 1.5 million, Reuters reported.
Roads that usually carry heavy traffic were nearly empty after police blocked access to parts of the capital to form a security area, Reuters said. Street vendors offered visit-themed goods, including flags bearing the pope's portrait.
Alejandra Frias, 56, told Reuters she had stayed outside overnight to get a place near the front and called the gathering “an emotional and spiritual moment.” Claudia Pardo, 37, who was there with her husband and two children, said she welcomed Leo's visit and hoped people would listen to his message.
Before the Mass, Leo visited Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a care center for people with disabilities on Buenos Aires' southern outskirts. He said a nation's progress depends partly on how it includes people with disabilities and others with particular needs. He also said centers like the one he visited have a role in societies that place too much weight on economic success.
The pope's remarks followed a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei on Sunday. Reuters reported that Leo urged Milei not to target Argentina's poorest through his austerity drive and said leaders should recognize the limits of their power. The Catholic Church has criticized Milei's spending cuts for reducing social services, Reuters reported.
The 12-day tour includes 50 events across Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. The Vatican has described it as a homecoming because Leo spent decades as a missionary in Peru, Reuters reported. Argentina, a majority-Catholic country, has not hosted a pope since 1987.
Leo arrived in Argentina from Uruguay on Sunday and is due to travel to Peru on Wednesday, Nov. 11, before returning to Rome on Nov. 17. In June, about 1.2 million people attended an event in Madrid during his visit to Spain, the largest gathering of his papacy to that point, Reuters reported.
