Pope Leo draws 2 million to Mass at Luján shrine, then flies to Peru: 'I carry all of you in my heart'
Illustration: Press Pass USAPope Leo XIV closed his visit to Argentina on Wednesday with an outdoor Mass for more than 2 million people at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, the country's most important Catholic shrine — then boarded a plane for Peru, an emotional homecoming for the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church.
Crowds stretched for miles outside the shrine, about an hour west of Buenos Aires, and some pilgrims walked as far as 10 kilometers to get there after streets and a main highway were closed for security. People pressed against barriers chanting "Leo, Leo, Leo" and waving white-and-yellow Vatican flags as the pope arrived in an open-air popemobile, according to Reuters.
Local authorities estimated more than 2 million faithful filled the square and the streets in front of the basilica for the 10 a.m. Mass, the Holy See Press Office said. The town of Luján has only about 111,000 residents — the crowd was roughly 20 times its population.
In his homily, Leo laid out a four-step journey he said every Mass proposes: reconciliation, enlightenment through the word of God, communion, and being sent forth on mission. At Christ's table, he said, "there is a place for everyone, especially for those who are most in need: the poor and the hungry, migrants, the sick and prisoners." He closed by telling Argentina to "rise up and walk" and to proclaim the Gospel with joy.
He also remembered his predecessor, Pope Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires and never returned to Argentina during his 12 years as pope. Leo said Francis always carried Our Lady of Luján — the "Patroncita morena" — in his heart, and noted that his own pontificate began on May 8, the feast day of Our Lady of Luján. At the end of the Mass he was presented with a Golden Rose, a papal honor bestowed on the shrine.
"Thank you, Argentina, for welcoming me with open arms!" he said in his farewell words. "The Successor of Peter must now continue his mission elsewhere, wherever the Lord sends him, but he would like to tell you that he carries all of you in his heart."
The Mass capped a final morning that began inside one of Argentina's largest penitentiaries. Leo visited the Devoto federal prison complex in Buenos Aires, where he hugged several inmates and told them a new life is possible and it is never too late to begin again. He also urged prison guards to treat detainees humanely, Reuters reported. The visit echoed the prison ministry of Pope Francis, who as Archbishop of Buenos Aires celebrated Holy Thursday Mass with inmates, including the washing of the feet.
Leo's farewell ceremony at Buenos Aires airport was attended by President Javier Milei, who saw him off before the pope boarded an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight to Lima. The plane departed at 2:38 p.m. and landed at Callao Air Base at about 5 p.m. local time, where Leo was greeted by Peru's President Keiko Fujimori.
The Peru leg is the most personal part of the 12-day South America tour, which runs through November 17. Leo, who holds U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, spent about 20 years as a missionary in Peru and served as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. He is expected to spend three days in Chiclayo, in the country's north, visiting old friends and the diocese he once led. Peru has prepared for the homecoming with fervor: a 14-meter statue of Leo with outstretched arms towers over a seaside park in Callao, and merchants in Lima are selling pope-themed shirts and souvenirs.
The crowds across Leo's three days in Argentina were intense — more than 6 million people in total, according to Reuters. A Mass in Buenos Aires on Monday drew an estimated 2.5 million, the largest single event yet of his 18-month papacy, and more than a million young people turned out for a candlelit vigil on Tuesday night. The trip, one of the most demanding foreign tours by a pope in decades, comes less than a month after Leo underwent surgery to remove part of his right lung; he has appeared in good form throughout, delivering long speeches in a firm, clear voice.
Sources: Reuters, "Pope Leo draws 2 million at final Argentina event ahead of Peru homecoming" (Nov. 11, 2026); Holy See Press Office, "Holy Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján" and "Farewell Ceremony from Argentina, Departure from Buenos Aires" (Nov. 11, 2026); EWTN News, "Pope Leo XIV in South America" live updates (Nov. 11, 2026); CathNews via OSV News, "More than two million people attend Pope's final Mass in Argentina" (Nov. 11, 2026).
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