Leo XIV celebrates Mass before 650,000 worshippers in Córdoba
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Africanews
Pope Leo XIV presided over a Mass before 650,000 worshippers at the Military Aviation School grounds in Córdoba, Argentina. In his homily, he urged Catholics to live their faith in daily life. This stop on his 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is his first visit to Latin America, according to Africa News.
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass before 650,000 worshippers in Córdoba, Argentina, according to Africanews. The ceremony was held at the Military Aviation School, on the site of the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA).
Arriving in the popemobile, he greeted the crowd before going to the altar, where he kissed the altar and incensed a statue of the Virgin Mary. In his homily, he urged Catholics to live their faith in daily life: "Open your hearts and, with God’s grace, go and be saints!" Many worshippers sheltered from the sun under umbrellas.
This Mass is a highlight of his first visit to Latin America since his election. His 12-day tour takes in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, where he was a missionary and bishop for nearly twenty years. Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor Francis, had not received a sitting pope since John Paul II in 1987.
The Córdoba Mass follows the one in Buenos Aires, which drew 2.5 million worshippers on 9 November, and the visit to the Fiorito shantytown on 10 November.
