Daniel del Castillo González
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his first Mass in Argentina before a crowd of around two million faithful at the Monument of the Spanish in Buenos Aires.
He addressed some of the country's most pressing challenges, including domestic violence, family separation and addictions, particularly among young people.
The pope highlighted the family as a way to reach them, while also observing the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.
POPE LEO XIV
Argentina’s history, culture and society have found in the family a source of the fundamental values of its people. In this land, a meeting place for different cultures and ethnic groups, the family has been where faith, human virtues, a culture of work, respect for the elderly and the defense of life are passed on.
The concern about passing on the faith is also reflected in the life of the Church. Argentina went from more than 625,000 baptisms in 1980 to approximately 330,000 in 2024.
Religious marriages have also fallen, from more than 153,000 to just over 20,000 over the same period. Pope Leo XIV says the response starts within the family.
POPE LEO XIV
Faith is passed on alongside life within the home, through the simplest gestures: blessing the food before a meal, praying before going to bed, forgiving and listening to one another, grandparents teaching children to pray, and attending Mass on Sundays.
Our beloved Pope Francis, who served as bishop of this city, spoke passionately about this: “The family is called to share daily prayer, the reading of the Word of God and Eucharistic communion, so that love may grow and the family may increasingly become a temple where the Spirit dwells.”
The reference to Francis is especially meaningful. Bergoglio served as archbishop of Buenos Aires for fifteen years.
He also devoted Amoris Laetitia to the family. The transmission of faith, he emphasized, begins at home.
