Pope Leo XIV Draws 650,000 to Córdoba a Day After 2.5 Million in Buenos Aires

Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass for an estimated 650,000 people in the central Argentine city of Córdoba on Tuesday, according to Euronews. The crowd came a day after an estimated 2.5 million people turned out to see him in Buenos Aires.

In his homily, the pope urged Argentines to follow the example of the holy figures the country has produced. He is due to leave Argentina for Peru on Wednesday after a final Mass in the town of Luján.

The key numbers

• 650,000: the estimated crowd at the Córdoba Mass on Tuesday.
• 2.5 million: the estimated turnout in Buenos Aires on Monday, which Euronews describes as a record.
• Nearly 40 years: how long Córdoba had gone without a papal visit. Euronews says the city was chosen because of its central location.
• 1987: the year St. John Paul II greeted the city from the balcony of the archbishop’s residence, the same one Leo appeared on after Mass.
• 2,000 kilometers: the distance two religious education teachers from Santa Cruz province in Patagonia said they traveled to attend. Euronews gives the figure as more than 1,200 miles.

What the pope said in Córdoba

Leo pointed the faithful to two of Argentina’s best-known saints: José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, known as the “Gaucho priest,” and Mama Antula, who in 2024 became the country’s first female saint. Both were canonized by Pope Francis, who was Argentine.

“We are all called to holiness,” Leo said, adding that these saints have completed their mission on Earth and that it is now the turn of the living to follow their example.

After Mass, the pope made a brief, unannounced appearance on the balcony. Thousands of people in the street below chanted his name in Spanish. Euronews reported that he told them that, united, people can do anything.

Why it matters: who came and what it signals

The turnout shows how strongly the visit resonates in Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor. Faithful drove for hours from the far north of the country and from Patagonia to reach Córdoba, Euronews reported. Pilgrims interviewed by the outlet described the moment in emotional terms. One university student said being so close felt like almost touching heaven.

Leo also linked his trip to Francis. In a post on X, he said his arrival in Argentina carries a particular meaning for him, because for twelve years the universal Church listened to the voice of a pope who carried the memory of the places, people and faith he received there.

Crowd figures in this report are estimates cited by Euronews, and the outlet does not say who produced them.

Earlier on the trip: a warning about AI

A few days ago in Uruguay, the pope spoke at the Catholic University of Uruguay in Montevideo. He warned of what he called the dehumanization caused by artificial intelligence and called for schools and universities to promote wise use of technology, putting the person before the algorithm.

What happens next

The final Mass in Argentina is scheduled for Wednesday in Luján. The pope, who was born Robert Francis Prevost, will then travel to Peru. He was born in the United States and also holds Peruvian nationality, and he is returning to the country where he spent many years as a missionary and bishop.

Preparations are already visible there. The papal plane and its crew were blessed at Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima on the eve of the arrival, and a giant statue of Leo XIV has been unveiled in the port city of Callao, about 15 km from Lima.

Read next
Pope Leo Draws 40,000 to First South America Mass After Surgery
Pope Leo XIV Cleared to Travel to South America After Lung Cancer Surgery
Pope Leo XIV Appears in St. Peter's Square After Lung Cancer Surgery: Key Questions

Around Prague, based on reporting by Euronews

Cover photo: Alakasam . / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped