Pope Leo XIV arrives in Buenos Aires on Sunday 8 November, on the longest leg of his South American tour. The papal plane is due to land at 4:30 p.m. at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, flying in from Montevideo, and the pontiff stays in the country until Wednesday 11. It is the first papal visit to Argentina in 39 years; the last was John Paul II's, in April 1987.
The Argentine stop is the second of a twelve-day trip that began on Friday 6 in Uruguay and ends on 17 November in Peru, where Leo XIV served as a missionary and as bishop of Chiclayo before being called to the Vatican. In Buenos Aires he will stay at the Apostolic Nunciature.
Farewell to Uruguay
Before leaving, the pope celebrated mass on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the square of the Catedral Basílica de Florida, the national shrine of the Virgen de los Treinta y Tres (Our Lady of the Thirty-Three), Uruguay's patron saint, and had lunch with the country's bishops. The farewell ceremony was held at Montevideo-Carrasco airport, with departure set for 3:30 p.m.
On Saturday 7, in Paysandú, the tour's first open-air mass drew about 40,000 people. On Sunday morning, Leo XIV posted a message on X about honesty: "When being just and honest comes at a price, pay it."
Sunday in Buenos Aires: San Martín, Milei and the diplomatic corps
Once in the Argentine capital, the official schedule calls for a visit to the monument to General San Martín and the Armies of Independence, in Plaza San Martín, and a welcome ceremony at the Casa Rosada (the seat of Argentina's government) at 5:20 p.m., followed by a meeting with President Javier Milei at 5:50 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m. the pontiff leads a gathering at the Palacio Libertad (the government's cultural centre in Buenos Aires) with national authorities, civil society representatives and the diplomatic corps, where he will deliver his first official address in the country. Milei invited Vice-President Victoria Villarruel, provincial governors and legislators from every bloc.
Three masses, a prison and three holidays
Monday 9. At 9:15 a.m., a visit to the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole. At 11:30 a.m., mass at the Monumento de los Españoles in Palermo. At 4 p.m., a meeting with union leaders, business figures and social-movement representatives at the UCA (Catholic University of Argentina) in Puerto Madero. At 5:30 p.m., an interfaith meeting at the Palacio San Martín. At 6:45 p.m., vespers at the Metropolitan Cathedral with the bishops, followed by dinner with them at the archbishop's residence.
Tuesday 10. A flight to Córdoba, landing at 9 a.m. at Ambrosio Taravella airport, and mass at 10 a.m. on the esplanade of the Military Aviation School. At 3 p.m., a meeting with bishops, priests, seminarians and pastoral workers at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. In the evening, back in Buenos Aires, a vigil with young people at the Monumento de los Españoles.
Wednesday 11. At 8 a.m., a visit to the Buenos Aires federal prison complex in Villa Devoto. At 10 a.m., mass in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján. At 1:30 p.m., the farewell ceremony at Ezeiza airport, and departure for Lima at 2 p.m.
The government declared three public holidays around the visit: Monday 9 nationwide, Tuesday 10 in the City of Buenos Aires and Wednesday 11 in Buenos Aires Province.
Free access and extra transport
The masses in Palermo, Córdoba and Luján and the youth vigil are free and open, with no registration required; a voluntary form is being used to estimate turnout. The only event requiring prior registration is the meeting with clergy at the Córdoba cathedral. The gatherings at the Casa Rosada, the Palacio Libertad, the UCA, the Palacio San Martín, the Metropolitan Cathedral and Villa Devoto are private.
National bus services run on weekday frequencies from 6 p.m. on Sunday 8 until late on Wednesday 11, and trains follow weekday timetables from the 9th to the 11th, with extra services from midnight on Monday. The 3 de Febrero and Lisandro de la Torre stations are closed to boarding and alighting from 6 p.m. on Saturday 7 until Thursday 12, and the Mitre and San Martín lines will run shortened routes on the 9th and 10th, with temporary terminals at Belgrano C, Belgrano R, Caseros and Villa del Parque.
The schedule splits the visit into two very different registers: the masses and the vigil, open to the public and built for crowds, and a series of closed meetings with political, business, union and religious power. In between, four days pass with much of the country on holiday.
With information from Infobae and El Cronista.
