BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Pope Leo XIV praised the Christian family as a source of strength for the Church in Argentina and for the country's society in general at an open-air Mass in the capital on Nov. 9.
"The family is the place where faith, human virtues, a culture of work, respect for the elderly, the defense of life, and fidelity to one's word are handed on," the pope told crowds filling wide avenues that had been closed to traffic.
"Do not give in to those who dismiss the Christian family as outdated. On the contrary, today more than ever, it remains a pillar amid the many insecurities of our time," he said in the homily.
Local authorities estimated turnout for the Mass, which the pope celebrated at an early 20th-century monument at a major intersection in leafy northern Buenos Aires, at 2.5 million people. Thick crowds lined the pope's motorcade route to the site.
In his homily, the pope said families should "take a leading role in evangelization. The Church in Argentina needs you. Support the bishops, parish priests, pastoral workers, and catechists in their mission. This Church is renewed and filled with enthusiasm when families, animated by faith, pray together and live out their ministry of proclaiming the good news."
To that end, Leo suggested ways that families could make their faith stronger.
"Open the doors of your homes to Christ! Speak naturally to your children about Jesus, and remain united to him. In the intimacy of the home, faith is passed on along with life itself, through the simplest gestures: a blessing before meals, a prayer before going to bed, forgiveness and mutual listening, grandparents teaching their grandchildren to pray, going to Mass on Sundays, and preparing for a retreat or a pilgrimage," he said.
Later in the day, the pope was scheduled to meet with business and labor leaders, address representatives of Christian churches and other religions, and lead a vespers service with Argentina's bishops and leaders of synodal teams. He will also spend Tuesday in Argentina before leaving Wednesday for Peru, the last country on his tour of South America.
