Buenos Aires, Nov 8 (EFE).- Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday for an apostolic visit, the first to the country in nearly 40 years, since John Paul II’s trip in 1987.
The Pope arrived in Buenos Aires from Montevideo at 4:34 pm local time on an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight at Jorge Newbery Airport.
As he landed, all the churches in Buenos Aires rang their bells.
Minutes after landing, León XIV appeared, waved, and then descended the boarding stairs and shook hands with Argentine President Javier Milei.
Then, the Argentine national anthem and a papal march were played, and the pope greeted the president’s sister and Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, as well as various ecclesiastical authorities.
A group of children, young people, and adults presented the pope with flowers and other gifts, and he greeted and blessed them.
León XIV then headed to downtown Buenos Aires to lay a wreath at the monument to José de San Martín, hero of South American independence, and will then meet with Milei at the Casa Rosada, the seat of government.
On Sunday, he will receive the keys to the city of Buenos Aires and meet with civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Palacio Libertad.
On Monday, he will visit the Cottolengo Don Orione, a care center for people with disabilities in Claypole (25 kilometers south of Buenos Aires); preside over a Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles in the Argentine capital; and attend meetings with representatives from the labor sector, religious leaders, and the Catholic bishops of Argentina.
On Tuesday, he will travel to Córdoba (700 kilometers north of Buenos Aires), Argentina’s second-most populous city, where he will celebrate Mass and meet with priests and religious leaders.
On Wednesday, he will preside over another Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján (70 kilometers west of the capital), among other activities. EFE
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