The ceremony took place at the Military Aviation School, on the grounds of the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA), where vast crowds gathered to welcome the pontiff. Arriving in his popemobile, he travelled past the faithful, waving and greeting those who had come to see him, before making his way to the altar.
Footage shows thousands of worshippers filling the grounds, nuns and priests praying, and people holding rosaries, singing and embracing. During the ceremony, the pope kissed the altar and offered incense before a statue of the Virgin Mary. In his homily, he encouraged Catholics to live out their faith in everyday life: “Open your hearts and, with God’s grace, go and be saints!”
The Mass is a major moment in Leo XIV’s first visit to Latin America since becoming head of the Catholic Church. His 12-day tour takes in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he spent nearly two decades as a missionary and bishop before his election as pope.
Argentina is also the homeland of his predecessor, the late Pope Francis, and had not hosted a reigning pontiff since John Paul II in 1987. Many worshippers sheltered from the sun under umbrellas, while others followed the ceremony from a distance, using binoculars or phones.