An estimated 2.5 million people made Pope Leo XIV's Mass in Buenos Aires on Monday the largest of his pontificate. Behind that figure were faces, stories and testimonies of faith that filled a historic day.
Access opened at midnight, on a national holiday declared for the apostolic visit, for the Mass at the Monumento a los Españoles in the Palermo neighborhood, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Local artists greeted those who had camped overnight beside the altar, a large structure put up some weeks earlier, under a clear spring sky.
Around 9 a.m., the singer-songwriter Athenas warmed the crowd with familiar Catholic songs. The surprise of the morning was Soledad Pastorutti, who sang her own pieces, including La Viajera and A Don Ata, and closed with religious songs such as Alma Misionera and Oración del Remanso.
With the streets closed, people walked in the hundreds: families, parish groups, couples, friends and a few onlookers, mixed in with street vendors selling flags, mugs and even images made with artificial intelligence that showed Pope Leo embracing Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
Florencia Raspi and Nicolás Deim arrived on Avenida del Libertador with four of their five children, all in yellow and white caps bearing the pope's image. Raspi, who was nine when she saw St. John Paul II with her own family, wanted her children to have that same experience.
"What moves us is the faith, the unique moment we are going to live," she told EWTN News, "and above all this great public act of faith, how faith moves us and stirs us." For Argentine families, she hoped the pope would leave "a message of hope, of unity," and the sense of "welcome everyone … that in our differences we all come together."
Olga walked arm in arm with her daughter, and with tears in her eyes spoke of "the emotion of seeing him, the faith we have," and of waiting for "the blessing he is going to give us all." For her country she wished "that we may be united, that we respect one another, and that the country may move forward."
Manuel Bur arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday with his girlfriend, from Concepción del Uruguay in Entre Ríos province. He hoped the pope would "give us strength, encouragement, to be better people, to be a better community."
Milagros Kirpach, of the Noche de la Caridad group at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, said she had come for more than a glimpse of the pope. "What is being lived, the people walking to meet their faith, is what brought me," she said. For Argentines she hoped for a message of unity and peace. "I think that all of us being united today reflects that."
Martina Navarro, of the Residencia Universitaria Sur of Opus Dei, had been volunteering since the early hours. "I had the joy of being able to take part. It was incredible to see the Church so alive, so happy to receive Pope Leo."
"As always, the pope leaves us unity, because he is literally the vicar of Christ on earth," she said. "We have the joy of being able to be a little closer to heaven with him."
Francisco Brusco, of the Piarist Schools at Colegio Calasanz in Buenos Aires, also served as a volunteer. "I cannot think of Pope Leo without thinking of the first pope, who is St. Peter, and whenever I think of St. Peter I think of the great mercy of God," he said. "Falling is human. Redemption comes from God and from his great mercy."
With the pope's arrival, he said, "the most important thing is to show that the faith is more alive than ever," and that it is "a very good way of showing that Argentina really is Catholic."
The popemobile crossed Avenida del Libertador after 11 a.m., nearly an hour behind schedule. The crowd in the sun covered their heads with caps, scarves, blankets and even bags. Many were moved by the pope's arrival; others were somewhat surprised at how quickly the vehicle passed.
The Mass itself was marked by respect, prayer and recollection. At the consecration, a great many of the faithful knelt, then went in an orderly way to receive Communion, distributed by more than 2,000 ministers of Holy Communion.
In his homily, the pope spoke of the family as 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. He also drew applause when he recalled Pope Francis, who was archbishop of Buenos Aires before he became pope.
At the sign of peace there was joy and a sense of fellowship, which lasted to the end, when the crowd left the site in an orderly way for home.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
