More than two million people gathered in Buenos Aires on Monday for the largest Eucharistic celebration of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, where the pontiff defended the Christian family as a vital anchor against modern hardships during his ongoing South American tour.
DW.com reported that an estimated 2.5 million people attended the mass at the Monument to the Spaniards in the Palermo neighborhood. CNN en Español noted that local authorities and the Argentine Episcopal Conference confirmed the attendance figures based on police calculations.
Fieles formed a corridor stretching over two kilometers along Libertador Avenue. They waved Argentine and Vatican flags while shouting chants for the pontiff.
The 71-year-old pope addressed the crowd shortly after recovering from a lung cancer surgery he underwent three weeks ago. Vatican News detailed his homily, in which he urged families to reject worldly illusions and open their homes to Christ.
Huge crowds greet Pope Leo XIV as he rides through Buenos Aires in the popemobile before celebrating Holy Mass near the Monumento de los Españoles during his Apostolic Journey to Argentina. Follow Pope Leo's trip to South America at https://t.co/Y3UE0Ustw8 pic.twitter.com/PEGutWCg6p
“No se resignen a las voces que repiten que la familia cristiana está superada; por el contrario, hoy más que nunca representa un pilar entre las muchas precariedades de nuestra época,” the pope stated, according to Vatican News.
The gathering surpassed attendance numbers from previous major events of this papacy. CNN en Español reported that prior milestones included roughly one million attendees at the Youth Jubilee closing near Rome in August 2025 and 1 to 1.5 million in Madrid the following June.
The event also exceeded the estimated two million people who attended John Paul II’s mass in Buenos Aires in 1982. EL PAÍS noted that this journey is the first papal visit to Argentina in 39 years, since John Paul II arrived in April 1987.
| Event / Location | Date | Estimated Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Buenos Aires (Palermo) | November 9, 2026 | 2.5 million |
| Madrid (Plaza de Cibeles) | June 2026 | 1 to 1.5 million |
| Rome (Youth Jubilee Closing) | August 3, 2025 | 1 million |
| Buenos Aires (Juan Paul II) | April 1987 | 2 million |
Before presiding over the mass, EL PAÍS reported that Pope Leo XIV visited the Cottolengo de Don Orione center for disabled individuals in Claypole. There, he emphasized dignity and integration over economic success and the pursuit of physical appearance.
The tour follows a stop in Uruguay, where El Comercio Perú reported the pontiff honored the Virgen de los Treinta y Tres in Florida. Following the current events in Argentina, the papal journey will conclude in Peru.
Latinobarómetro data cited by EL PAÍS indicates a regional shift in religious demographics over recent decades. The figures show the percentage of Latin Americans identifying as Catholic declining from 80 percent in 1995 to 55 percent in 2025 and 2026.
