LUJAN, Argentina, Nov. 11 (Reuters) – Pope Leo concluded his visit to Argentina on Wednesday before a crowd of 2 million people, then set off for Peru as part of his 12-day South American tour. The trip marks an emotional return to the country where the first Peruvian citizen to lead the Catholic Church once served.
Leo is making a three-country journey through Nov. 17. In Argentina, he celebrated an outdoor Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lujan, the nation’s most important Catholic pilgrimage site, where worshippers had gathered days ahead of his arrival.
Thousands of people filled the roads for miles around the shrine, roughly an hour west of Buenos Aires. As the pope arrived in an open-air popemobile, crowds pressed against security barriers, chanting “Leo, Leo, Leo” and waving the Vatican’s white-and-yellow flags.
Some pilgrims walked as far as 10 km (six miles) to reach the shrine after authorities closed numerous streets, including a major highway, as part of the security operation.
During his sermon, Leo prayed for God’s protection over Argentina and called on Argentines to build a society with room for everyone, “especially those who are most in need: the poor and the hungry, migrants, the sick and prisoners.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the pope visited one of Argentina’s largest penitentiaries, embracing several inmates and urging guards to treat prisoners with humanity. His three-day visit has underscored the Catholic Church’s criticism of President Javier Milei’s reductions in social programs.
Leo, who holds both U.S. and Peruvian citizenship, will now begin the most personal stage of the most demanding papal overseas trip in decades. He is returning to the country where he worked as a missionary for about 20 years before becoming pope last year.
The journey began less than a month after Leo underwent surgery for lung cancer. Despite the demanding schedule, he has appeared to be in strong health, delivering lengthy speeches in a firm and steady voice.
His visit to Peru is expected to bring emotional reunions with old friends. He will spend three days in the northern city of Chiclayo, where he served as bishop from 2015 to 2023, while also facing questions about how directly he will engage with the political affairs of his adopted nation.
Leo’s appearances in Argentina have drawn enormous crowds, with more than 6 million people attending events during the visit. Monday’s Mass in Buenos Aires was the largest gathering of his 18-month papacy so far, attracting 2.5 million people.
Leo is scheduled to land at Peru’s Callao Air Base at 5:30 p.m. (2230 GMT). Following a brief welcome ceremony, he will travel to the presidential palace for a closely watched meeting with President Keiko Fujimori, who was elected this year after one of Peru’s tightest contests, which was clouded by fraud allegations and delays in counting the votes.
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Fujimori is the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who governed Peru from 1990 to 2000 and died in 2024. Her victory brought one of the country’s most influential and divisive political dynasties back to power.
In 2017, Leo, then known as Bishop Robert Prevost, criticized the late Fujimori’s pardon. He said the former president, who had been convicted of serious human rights violations, needed to personally seek forgiveness from victims for Peru to achieve genuine reconciliation.
Keiko Fujimori made extensive use of her father’s political legacy during her presidential campaign.
“It’s not just a pastoral visit by the pope to his flock, but a visit to his home,” said Jose Luis Guadalupe Pérez, an academic at Peru’s Pacific University. Leo’s deep familiarity with Peru, he added, means “he is bound to step on some toes.”
Peru has embraced the homecoming with enthusiasm. A 14-meter (46-foot) statue of Leo with outstretched arms stands over a seaside park in Callao, while merchants in Lima sell pope-themed clothing and souvenirs. Inmates at the country’s largest women’s prison have also sewn velvet dolls modeled on the pope.
The Peru visit will complete Leo’s first tour of South America as pope, during which he has called for political dialogue and greater unity across the divided region.
Politics of the past
Martin Cassinelli, an analyst at the Atlantic Council, said Leo’s Peruvian background gives him a rare perspective on the country’s political history.
“There’s no other country where the Pope is as attuned to the domestic politics of that country than Peru,” Cassinelli said.
“If there’s anything that could potentially be at odds with the current Fujimori government, it would be a reflection on the past.”
Relations between the government of the late Fujimori and parts of the Catholic Church were often strained, particularly over human rights abuses committed during the state’s campaign against the Maoist Shining Path insurgency.
Church leaders also opposed the 1995 amnesty granted to members of the security forces accused of rights violations.
