A cheeky boy and priest in therapy – papal sidelights from Leo’s tour

A psychologist for the cardinal

“Now I’ll have to go the psychologist due to my low self-esteem,” the Archbishop of Córdoba, the Jesuit cardinal Ángel Rossi, joshed with the press after accompanying Leo XIV in his drive in the popemobile, during which he was greeted by hundreds of thousands of the faithful. “It was awesome,” exclaimed Rossi before the mass attended by 650,000 people.

‘Cool ring!’

This expression came from a Córdoba kid on seeing close-up the golden ring of the Fisherman symbolising pontifical authority when he went to receive the Pope at the airport. “Bless me and my family,” the boy of around 10 asked him while holding the pontiff’s hand among the many people who wanted to greet him or hand over to him letters, drawings and gifts. That was when he came out with: “Alto anillito, eh!”, a colloquial Argentine way of saying: “Cool ring!”

Couple requests blessing

“Holy Father, we’re getting married this Saturday [November 14]. Could you give us your blessing?” read the billboard of a young couple who awaited the pontiff for long hours in front of the Papal Nuncio’s palace where Leo XIV spent his nights in Buenos Aires. The Pope came to the door to greet them, responding smilingly to their request. The moment was shared by the bridal couple on social media. “Our happiness is complete,” they wrote.

Furry capybara gift

When the Pope first arrived in Argentina, a group of children were awaiting him with flowers, letters and gifts. One of them belonging to a Boy Scout group shook his hand and gave him a capybara cuddly toy. The Pope received it in amazement but smiled and hugged the little boy. The South American rodents have been all the rage among youngsters in Argentina for some years now because, despite their cute appearance, they are rejected in the de luxe neighbourhoods erected on the wetlands of Buenos Aires, the natural habitat of the capybaras. Their defenders have transformed them into cuddly toys, stickers and even birthday party themes. Now, even the Pope has one.

VIP section

The papal message of austerity clashed with the gastronomic stand prepared by City Hall and reserved for a handful of guests in a VIP sector offering coffee and refreshments to officials, models, fashion designers, artists and members of the show business world. The tent with tables and chairs and floral arrangements was assembled a few metres away from the stage where the Pope was giving his first mass to 2.5 million people in the exclusive Palermo neighbourhood. “Reviewing everything done, in such a big event, it seems to me that the medialunas and cakes were over the top. But nor was it the extraordinary luxury claimed by some,” said City Mayor Jorge Macri, defending himself against the rain of criticism descending on him from the social networks.

Football and passion

The Argentines followed the Pope and attended his three masses in Argentina in their millions with the same passion which they devote, for example, to football. “This is very Argentine. The marches, the processions, I think there’s something there which has to do with the Argentine culture, of occupying public spaces,” said anthropologist Nicolás Viotti, a CONICET researcher specialising in religion. Going out on the streets to celebrate with others and embracing strangers form part of the festive identity of Argentines. “There’s something in that, the mass events, the Obelisk, the Plaza de Mayo, are all almost places for lay processions, celebrating the World Cup is in some way a lay procession,” said Viotti.