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2 million attend Pope Leo’s final Argentina event ahead of Peru homecoming
Pope Leo ended his three-day visit to Argentina with an outdoor Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, attended by an estimated 2 million people. The event capped a visit that drew more than 6 million overall and featured calls to include people in need, as well as a visit to a major prison where he urged humane treatment of detainees.
He now heads to Peru, where he served as a missionary for about 20 years and was bishop of Chiclayo from 2015 to 2023. His three-day visit includes a meeting with newly elected President Keiko Fujimori, whose family’s political legacy Leo has previously criticised over her father’s human rights record. The Peru leg is part of a three-country tour ending on 17 November.
In short
- 2 million people attended Leo’s final event in Argentina.
- His Argentina visit drew more than 6 million people.
- Peru brings him back to a country where he served for decades.
Explained simply
The Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, which has followers around the world. Argentina and Peru are both predominantly Catholic, and large public Masses are an important part of the Church’s life.
Leo spent about 20 years as a missionary in Peru and later led the Catholic diocese of Chiclayo, a church district in the north of the country. Peru’s new president, Keiko Fujimori, is the daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori, whose record on human rights has been disputed.