By Vera, Vocemundi · 2026-11-10
Pope Leo XIV celebrated an open-air Mass in Buenos Aires on Monday, 9 November 2026. Local authorities estimated attendance at about 2.5 million people. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not say which authority produced the figure or how it was calculated. They include no independent count.
DW described the Mass as the largest gathering of Leo's papacy so far. MercoPress attributed the same description to El País.
The Mass was held near the Monument of the Spaniards (Monumento a los Españoles). Argentina declared Monday a national holiday so people could attend. Some attendees stayed overnight near the site. President Javier Milei attended. It is the first papal visit to Argentina since John Paul II's visit in 1987.
A visit to a care home
Before the Mass, the pope visited the Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities outside central Buenos Aires. According to DW, the home is in Claypole and houses more than 400 people. DW reported that the pope told residents their lives were a blessing, not a burden. DW quoted him as saying: "A nation's progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs."
The homily
The homily focused on the family. MercoPress quoted the pope as saying that Argentina "found in the family the source from which to draw the people’s fundamental values". According to DW, he spoke of families facing unstable employment, violence and addiction.
According to MercoPress, the crowd watched on 33 giant screens, and the pope's remembrance of Pope Francis drew a long ovation. MercoPress, citing El País, reported brief whistles and boos in parts of the park when Milei's image appeared on screen. The reports do not describe how widespread they were.
Context
On Sunday, in an address attended by Argentine authorities, the pope said the economy should serve people, including those facing the greatest difficulties. MercoPress quoted him: "the economy must be at the service of the person".
According to DW, Milei's government has cut disability services and resisted a law increasing care funding. DW reported that Congress overrode Milei's veto of that law in 2025. The reports do not include the government's account. The quoted remarks do not show the pope naming Milei or his policies.
DW also reported that the pope, 71, had surgery to remove a cancerous lung tumour less than a month before the trip.
What each side says
- Local authorities: about 2.5 million people attended.
- Pope Leo XIV: progress is also measured by how a nation welcomes people with disabilities, and the economy must serve the person.
- The Vatican: the tour is a "homecoming", according to DW.
- Córdoba provincial government: it expects more than a million people at the pope's Mass there, according to MercoPress.
The reports do not include a response from Milei or his government.
What comes next
The pope is scheduled to travel to Peru. DW gives Wednesday as the travel date. MercoPress reports a Mass in Córdoba on Tuesday and a final Mass in Luján on Wednesday. DW's itinerary does not mention these stops. According to DW, he is due back in Rome on 17 November.
Analysis
The visit places the pope's remarks on disability and the economy alongside an existing domestic debate in Argentina. According to DW, the Senate is due to consider next year's disability funding soon. Observers on different sides may read the pope's words as general Church teaching or as relevant to current policy; the reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not show him naming the government. Without a government response, it is unclear how officials view the remarks. The 2.5 million figure rests on a single official estimate, so the scale of the gathering cannot be independently confirmed from these reports.
Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.
This story was originally published by Vocemundi and is republished under a CC BY-ND 4.0 license. How we verified this story.
