DistantNews
Support us
Pope Leo XIV to visit Argentina, first papal trip in nearly 40 years
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Culture & Society

Pope Leo XIV to visit Argentina, first papal trip in nearly 40 years

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Pope Leo XIV will visit Argentina from November 8-11, marking the first papal visit in nearly 40 years.
  • The visit is significant as Pope Francis, who was Argentinian, never visited his home country as pontiff.
  • Leo XIV's trip is part of a Latin American tour and signifies the first papal visit to the region since 2019.

Pope Leo XIV is set to visit Argentina between November 8 and 11, a trip that marks the first papal journey to the South American nation in almost four decades. The Vatican announced the visit on Wednesday, highlighting its historical significance.

historical

— Javier MileiArgentinian President Javier Milei described the visit of Leo XIV as 'historical.'

This upcoming papal visit carries particular weight because Pope Francis, the Argentine-born pontiff who preceded Leo XIV, never visited his native country during his papacy. The last pope to visit Argentina was John Paul II in April 1987, undertaking a tour of ten cities and nine provinces. He had also visited in 1982.

day of enormous joy

— Pablo QuirnoArgentinian Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno considered the announcement a 'day of enormous joy.'

Leo XIV's itinerary includes Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru, according to Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni. This tour represents the first papal visit to Latin America since 2019. Argentinian President Javier Milei described the visit as "historic," while Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno expressed "enormous joy" at the announcement.

In the times when I was prior general of the Augustinians, several times, during visits to my brothers in Argentina, when he was still a cardinal, I had the opportunity to meet him and talk with him, informally and about more institutional matters.

— Robert PrevostPope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost) recalled his past interactions with Jorge Bergoglio (Pope Francis) in an interview with Vatican News on April 22, 2025.

The relationship between Pope Leo XIV, formerly Robert Prevost, and the late Pope Francis, Jorge Bergoglio, dates back to their encounters in Buenos Aires in 2004. Prevost recalled meeting Bergoglio informally and institutionally during visits to Argentina when Bergoglio was still a cardinal. Their connection deepened after Bergoglio's election as the first Latin American pope. Prevost also recalled Bergoglio recognizing him immediately upon entering the sacristy after his first public Mass as pope in 2013.

I wondered if he would have remembered me and when he arrived and entered the sacristy, upon seeing me, he recognized me immediately.

— Robert PrevostPope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost) described his reunion with Pope Francis after the latter's election.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog