Pope Leo ends Argentina visit with prison stop and Mass, heads to Peru
Reuters reports 2 million people attended the final Mass at Luján, while UPI says nearly 2 million, citing local media.
Pope Leo XIV ended his visit to Argentina on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and headed to Peru, where he served as a missionary priest and bishop for about two decades. In the morning he went to Devoto Prison in Buenos Aires, which was a clandestine detention and torture center under the 1976–1983 military dictatorship and is being closed. An AP report says he told inmates there is always hope for redemption and reconciliation.
He then celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, Argentina's national shrine. Reuters puts the crowd at 2 million. UPI says nearly 2 million, citing local media.
In his homily Leo urged Argentines to leave room for everyone, especially the poor, migrants, the sick and prisoners. Per Reuters, the three-day trip put a spotlight on the Church's objections to President Javier Milei's social program reductions. Al Jazeera reports Milei became visibly emotional as he said goodbye.
In Peru, Leo is due to address President Keiko Fujimori, according to Reuters. UPI says he stays there through Monday, and Reuters says the tour runs through Nov. 17.
- 2 millionpeople at the final Luján event, by Reuters' accountNew York Post
- nearly 2 millionattendance at the Luján Mass, per local media cited by UPIUPI
- more than 6 millionpeople drawn across the Argentina visit, per ReutersNew York Post
- 2.5 millionattendance at Monday's Buenos Aires Mass, per ReutersNew York Post
- 36.9%Greater Buenos Aires residents in poverty in first half of 2026, per Argentina's statistics agencyUPI
Three sides of the story
8 news outlets reported this
Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.
Liberal3 outlets
Devoto prison's dictatorship-era history and Francis's legacy
ABC News runs an AP report that opens with two stops on Wednesday: a meeting with inmates at Devoto Prison and a final Mass at Argentina's national shrine. It spends most of its length on the prison's past. During the 1976–1983 dictatorship it was a clandestine detention and torture center, and the 1978 killing of 65 common prisoners, called the Seventh Pavilion Massacre, was covered up by the military but proven in court to be "an act of state violence."
Human rights lawyers have asked courts to block any sale of the land until investigations of crimes against humanity are finished. The report adds that a federal court in December 2025 gave 25-year sentences to two former prison chiefs. It ties both sites to Pope Francis and says Leo's stops "pale in comparison" with his return to Peru.
Al Jazeera English reports that President Javier Milei grew visibly emotional while bidding farewell to Pope Leo XIV, and its headline says Milei cries.
Center2 outlets
Leo's messages of hope, reconciliation and solidarity
UPI leads with the final Mass at Luján, attended by "nearly 2 million people," and builds around Leo's homily: four steps of reconciliation, listening to the Word of God, communion and concrete action. It adds poverty data from Argentina's statistics agency, 36.9% in Greater Buenos Aires in the first half of 2026 against 32.3% nationally, and quotes the farewell: "Farewell, my beloved Argentina." The Seattle Times, running AP, leads with Leo telling inmates at Devoto Prison that there is always hope for redemption and reconciliation.
It says about 75 prisoners attended, chosen mostly for their role in the prison's religious programs, according to chaplain Rev. Matías De Martini, and that 1 million people were expected at the Mass. Many pilgrims hoped Leo's call for unity would ease Argentina's political divide, and Enrique González says the pope "strikes a chord on both sides."
Conservative3 outlets
Two million at farewell Mass, then Peru politics
The New York Post runs a Reuters report headlined "2 million attend Pope Leo's final Argentina event ahead of Peru homecoming." It describes crowds stretching for miles outside the Luján shrine, some people walking as far as 10 km, and says the three-day visit put a spotlight on the Church's objections to spending reductions that President Javier Milei has imposed on welfare schemes. Reuters adds that Leo embraced several prisoners and asked jailers to treat detainees compassionately, and that he began the tour less than a month after lung cancer surgery.
Much of the report looks ahead to Peru: an address to President Keiko Fujimori and a test of how directly Leo wades into politics. Atlantic Council analyst Martin Cassinelli says any friction with the Fujimori government could come from a reflection on the past. The Washington Times says Leo closed an "emotional and politically charged visit" with an appeal for unity and reconciliation.
- Liberal outlets did not mentionReuters says the visit highlighted Church criticism of Milei's cuts to social programs Reported by New York Post
- Centrist outlets did not mentionReuters says the visit highlighted Church criticism of Milei's cuts to social programs Reported by New York Post
- Conservative outlets did not mentionDevoto Prison's use as a dictatorship-era torture center and the 1978 Seventh Pavilion Massacre Reported by ABC News, The Seattle Times
Which side made the stronger case?
We will email you when the story continues. At most one email a day.
All sources: 8 articles from 8 outlets
Liberal (3)
- ABC News: Pope will wrap up Argentina tour with a visit to a prison and a shrine before heading home to Peru
- Al Jazeera English: Argentina’s Milei cries as he bids farewell to the Pope
- The Boston Globe: Pope will wrap up Argentina tour with a visit to a prison and a shrine before heading home to Peru
Center (2)
- The Seattle Times: Pope Leo XIV wrapping up Argentina visit before an emotional trip back to Peru, his adopted homeland
- UPI: Pope Leo XIV leaves Argentina with call to help the vulnerable
Conservative (3)
The evening briefing by email
One email a day, around 8:30 p.m. New York time: the seven main stories, each with its three sides, and the blind spot of the day. Unsubscribe with one tap.
A Telegram channel is coming soon.