Plans for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Argentina are ramping up, with the pontiff likely to base himself in Buenos Aires, also returning to the capital each evening after events in Córdoba and Luján.
The Vatican confirmed earlier this month that the Catholic leader would travel to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru for a tour lasting November 6 to 17.
Leo’s visit will be the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly four decades. His predecessor, Francis, never returned to his home country while serving as pontiff. The last pontiff to tour the nation was John Paul II in 1987.
Whilst the final details of the trip are still being agreed, Leo’s preliminary schedule includes activities in Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján.
Sources with knowledge of the planning of events say the pontiff is likely to spend each night at the Apostolic Nunciature to Argentina, the Holy See's diplomatic mission, in Recoleta, Buenos Aires, returning there after events to rest.
Jorge Eduardo Scheinig, the Archbishop of Mercedes-Luján, recently confirmed that the schedule under consideration includes one day in Buenos Aires (Monday, November 9) activities in Córdoba the following day and a visit to Luján. The programme has not yet been finalised, he added.
Among the activities currently under consideration are meetings with clergy, seminarians, prisoners and people with disabilities. Cooperatives and organisations representing cartonero urban recyclers have also requested a meeting.
The possibility of the Pope visiting a prison is also being examined, although there is no confirmation of that activity.
Security and logistics are being overseen by a working committee led by Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei. Meetings are taking place at the National Security Ministry and have involved officials from the national government, Buenos Aires City, and the provinces of Buenos Aires and Córdoba.
An official Holy See delegation will arrive in the country this weekend to carry out a survey of the locations chosen for large-scale events. Once their technical tour is complete, national and provincial authorities will meet again to fine-tune the details.
One point still under consideration is the possibility of holding a mass gathering with young people at River Plate's Monumental stadium in Núñez, Buenos Aires. "It hasn't been decided yet," said Archbishop Scheinig.
The final itinerary remains subject to change. For now, the general plan comprises three days of activities and an operational base in Buenos Aires.
The pope, who was born Robert Francis Prevost in the US city of Chicago, lived for more than two decades in Peru, where he was a missionary and bishop in the northern city of Chiclayo. He has both US and Peruvian citizenship and is a fluent Spanish speaker.
– TIMES/PERFIL
Comments