Pope Leo XIV has celebrated an outdoor Mass in Córdoba, urging Argentines to draw on the lives of the country’s saints as they practise and share their faith.
The Vatican estimated that 650,000 people attended Tuesday’s service on the grounds of the Military Aviation School. The figure is an estimate, rather than a precise count. The gathering took place on 10 November, the third day of the Pope’s visit to Argentina.
Leo travelled to the central city from Buenos Aires that morning. Among those who came to the Mass were worshippers from Santa Cruz province in southern Patagonia and Tucumán province in the north, reflecting the distances some people had covered to be there.
In his homily, the Pope described Córdoba as a place shaped by people who had dedicated their lives to their faith. He said their example could encourage Christians to serve others and make their beliefs visible through the way they live.
He particularly remembered two figures associated with Argentina: José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, known as the “gaucho priest”, and María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, widely known as Mama Antula. Both were later recognised as saints by the Catholic Church.
Two figures in Argentina’s religious history
Brochero ministered to communities in the Córdoba region and travelled by mule to reach people in remote areas. In his homily, Leo pointed to the priest’s prayer and his commitment to those he served. Brochero died in 1914 and was canonised by Pope Francis in 2016.
An image of Christ associated with Brochero was present at the service. The Pope said the priest had commissioned it while he was ill and invited those attending to reflect on its significance.
Mama Antula travelled widely to help people deepen their religious lives. Leo said she brought together contemplation and service to others. She became the first Argentine woman to be canonised a saint in 2024, also during Francis’s papacy.
Leo linked both figures to the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, a tradition of prayer and reflection. Their different lives, he suggested, offered examples of a common responsibility to put faith into practice and communicate it to others.
The homily also recalled religious women who worked in education and cared for sick people, as well as lay people whose faith was expressed in ordinary life. The Pope urged those present to carry that example into their families, workplaces and communities.
A day in Córdoba
The service followed a large Mass in Buenos Aires on Monday, where attendance was estimated at 2.5 million. The last pope to visit Argentina had been John Paul II in 1987. Francis came from Argentina but did not return to the country during his papacy.
After the Córdoba Mass, Leo met a group of 20 people selected by the local archdiocese, including people experiencing vulnerability and exclusion. He later addressed bishops, priests, religious and pastoral workers at the city’s cathedral.
At that separate meeting, he encouraged those involved in Church work to renew their spiritual lives and continue serving people in need. He also spoke about perseverance when ministry brings weariness or limited visible results.
Leo returned to Buenos Aires later on Tuesday and ended the day at a prayer vigil with young people. Argentina is one stop on his journey through South America, which began in Uruguay; a visit to Peru was planned for the following stage.
