'The Holy Father Is Coming Home': Pope Leo XIV Leaves Argentina's Record Crowds for an Emotional Return to Peru
After a farewell Mass for more than 2 million pilgrims at the shrine of Our Lady of Luján, America's first pope flies to Lima to begin a six-day homecoming in the country where he served as a missionary and bishop for decades.
By MARGARET CALLAHANFaith & Religion · Nov 11, 7:00 PM
ILLINOIS — Pope Leo XIV said goodbye to Argentina on Wednesday with a Mass for an enormous crowd at the country's most beloved shrine, then boarded a plane for the most personal stop of his pontificate: a return to Peru, the country he has called home for much of his life.
The Holy See Press Office reported that more than 2 million people attended the farewell Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, a town of about 111,000 residents, OSV News reported.
At Luján, the American-born pope urged Argentines to reconcile with one another. "We need to reconcile ourselves with our past and present," he said, according to OSV News. He called for a Church where everyone has room at the table, especially the poor, migrants, the sick and prisoners.
Earlier in the visit, at an interfaith gathering with about 100 religious leaders in Buenos Aires, Leo cited the Second Vatican Council in affirming the spiritual bond that unites the Church with the people of Israel, The Times of Israel reported. Argentine rabbis who attended welcomed the message; one rabbi with the World Jewish Congress noted that such phrasing is uncommon in Church documents. At a time of rising antisemitism…