Luján mayor expects a national holiday for Pope Leo XIV’s visit

Luján is preparing for a papal gathering that the city’s mayor says could draw between one million and two million people to the Basilica of Luján on Nov. 11. Mayor Leonardo Boto expects the national government to declare a holiday so people from across Argentina can travel to the event.

“Luján is an artery, a knot between motorways and roads. We have to take many precautions so traffic does not collapse,” Boto told La Nación. He said security and circulation would pose the biggest challenges as visitors arrive, with young people expected to camp outdoors from the previous day and attend a vigil lasting at least 24 hours.

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We expect there will be a national holiday so people from across the country can travel.

The main stage for Leo XIV’s Mass will stand in front of the basilica, which will close to visitors the day before. A two-kilometer corridor will run along Belgrano Avenue toward the motorway, where the crowd is expected to gather.

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Luján is an artery, a knot between motorways and roads. We have to take many precautions so traffic does not collapse.

Boto said people had been calling from Bariloche, Mendoza, Entre Ríos and Neuquén. “This will be one of the largest gatherings in Luján’s history. We have started working on the ground and on the logistics,” he said.

The security operation includes the Vatican Swiss Guard, the Federal Police, the National Gendarmerie, Buenos Aires provincial police and Civil Defense. A Vatican advance team recently visited the site with representatives of the Argentine Episcopal Conference. The last papal visit to Luján took place 44 years ago, when John Paul II celebrated Mass there in June 1982. Buenos Aires Gov. Axel Kicillof is also expected to receive the pope.

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This will be one of the largest gatherings in Luján’s history. We have started working on the ground and on the logistics.