Pope Leo XIV calls Argentines to ‘go and spread the Gospel’ in Córdoba Mass

*Updated on Nov. 10, 2:23 p.m.

Pope Leo XIV led a massive Mass in Córdoba on Tuesday, where he called Argentines to “go out and evangelize,” and remembered local religious figures.

The Mass, which began just after 10:00 a.m. at the grounds of the Military Aviation School at the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA), is the second the Pope has given in his visit to Argentina.

“We celebrate this Holy Mass for the sanctification of the Argentine people, for the sanctification of all of you,” said Leo.

He also mentioned Argentina men and women “who were called by the Lord and sent on a mission, without even realizing how extraordinary their evangelizing work would become; for all Christians are simply servants, and we need do nothing more than fulfill our duty.” 

The Pope named several Argentine saints and religious figures, such as San José Gabriel Brochero (known as Cura Brochero), a Catholic priest known for his extensive work with the poor and the sick, and María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa (known in Quechua as Mama Antula), a Catholic religious sister who established the Hijas del Divino Salvador (Daughters of the Divine Savior) order in Santiago del Estero.

Leo XIV also referenced his “venerated predecessor,” Pope Francis, quoting him as saying that “the poor need God and people who demonstrate the power of Christian love through their lives.”

“All these saints and blesseds have already fulfilled their mission on Earth. Today, it is up to us to follow the shining path of holiness they left behind,” he added.

The Pope also called on Argentines to “open your hearts” and “go and spread the Gospel” in their day-to-day lives.

“Go forth and be saints at school, in the square, with your families and friends, in the countryside and in the city, on the farm and in the office,” he said.

A multitude welcoming the Pope Leo XVI was welcomed by a massive crowd after arriving in Córdoba shortly before 9 a.m.

According to Córdoba’s Institutional Management and Coordination Minister, over 450,000 people had already entered the FAdeA grounds by 7:00 a.m. Córdoba Governor Martín Llaryora had estimated that the Pontiff’s visit would draw more than one million people across his three scheduled activities in the province.

Llaryora welcomed Leo XIV on his X account, stating that the people of Córdoba “join in a warm, tight embrace to welcome [the Pontiff] with open arms and hearts full of faith and joy”

The official reception also included students from elementary and secondary schools in high-mountain areas and the city of Córdoba, as well as delegations from organizations dedicated to promoting the rights of people with disabilities.

Human rights letter and symbolic venue In addition to the Mass, Pope Leo XIV will personally receive a letter from Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo and the family of Sonia Torres, the mother of Silvina Parodi, a woman who gave birth to a baby boy, Daniel Efraín Orozco-Parodi, while in captivity at a maternity hospital in Córdoba. She was later transferred to the Buen Pastor, a detention center run by nuns.

The letter will be hand-delivered by Alba Camargo — a daughter and niece of dictatorship survivors — who herself is a survivor of the Buen Pastor detention center. She will be part of a 20-person group selected by Bishop Ángel Rossi to represent struggles for dignity and hope. 

The choice of FAdeA as the setting brings one of Argentina’s most iconic industrial sites into the spotlight. Located on Fuerza Aérea Avenue, the facility spans more than 200 hectares and houses runways, aircraft assembly hangars, and modernization and painting workshops. 

The main altar for the religious ceremony will be set up in one of the complex’s open spaces, where Pope John Paul II also gave a Mass during his 1987 visit to Argentina.

Pope Leo XIV will continue his visit with a meeting with the local clerical authorities at the Cordoba Cathedral scheduled for 3:15 p.m., before flying back to Buenos Aires in the afternoon.

On Tuesday night, he’ll gather with young people at the Monumento de los Españoles (Av. del Libertador and Av. Sarmiento).

Photos: Vatican News