The landmark three-day visit drew an estimated 2.5 million worshippers in Buenos Aires alongside another 650,000 pilgrims at a military aircraft factory esplanade in Cordoba. Throughout the services, the 71-year-old pontiff invoked local blessed figures and saints to inspire daily evangelism and national solidarity. He also confronted President Javier Milei’s right-wing administration directly, calling for an inclusive economy that reverses funding cuts affecting vulnerable citizens.
Key points
Pope Leo XIV repeatedly challenged President Javier Milei's administration regarding its…: Pope Leo XIV repeatedly challenged President Javier Milei's administration regarding its economic and social welfare policies.
The pontiff demanded an inclusive economy that protects trade unions and restores funding…: The pontiff demanded an inclusive economy that protects trade unions and restores funding for vulnerable groups.
Faithful travelers journeyed thousands of kilometers from every region of Argentina to wi…: Faithful travelers journeyed thousands of kilometers from every region of Argentina to witness the landmark papal events.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
In Pictures
Photos: Crowds greet Pope Leo in Argentina after 40-year wait
Pope Leo XIV urges Argentines to emulate their saints during his landmark visit, drawing crowds unseen for decades.
Pope Leo XIV has urged Argentinians to follow the “holy example” of the country’s saints and build a more “fraternal and caring nation”, as an estimated 650,000 people packed the central city of Cordoba for Mass.
The 71-year-old pontiff, on a 12‑day Latin America tour less than a month after lung cancer surgery, on Tuesday celebrated the liturgy on the esplanade of a military aircraft factory.
The Vatican said it was attended by 650,000 pilgrims, following Monday’s Mass in Buenos Aires, where about 2.5 million worshippers gathered – the largest of his pontificate so far.
In Cordoba, Leo listed Argentinian saints and blessed figures as examples of a unity “between passion for the Gospel and commitment to building a fraternal and caring nation”, urging citizens to evangelise “at school and in the square, in the family and with friends, in the countryside and in the city, at the dairy farm…
Facing relentless bombardments from enemy glide bombs, missiles, and unmanned aircraft, specialized defense teams are working to intercept aerial threats over Slovyansk. The besieged hub forms a vital segment of Kyiv's defensive belt in the eastern Donetsk region, where continuous strikes have left the area largely unlivable. Protecting these fortifications has grown increasingly critical as the territory becomes a primary bargaining chip in revived international diplomacy.
The controversial transfer was executed after authorities designated the 73-year-old's Kuala Lumpur mansion as a federal prison following a conditional royal pardon that halved his original term. The move has sparked fierce criticism from anti-graft advocates who warn it erodes the rule of law. He still faces further substantial prison time tied to other 1MDB cases once this home detention concludes in August 2028.
Military operations spanning northern and southern Gaza on Tuesday struck displacement sites and industrial facilities, causing multiple civilian casualties. The bombardments affected several neighborhoods within Gaza City alongside ground gunfire in the south, reflecting persistent dangers for residents sheltering across the enclave. Local health officials confirmed that the separate incidents pushed the single-day death toll to at least seven.