Pope Leo XIV held a mass for nearly one million people in Córdoba

On the third day of his historic apostolic visit to the Argentine Republic, Pope León XIV traveled to the heart of the country to lead a monumental liturgy that marked a milestone of fervor and spiritual renewal. On a day marked by institutional support for the culture of effort and the Christian virtues that embody the moral transformation driven by the administration of President Javier Milei, the Holy Father gathered nearly 1 million people according to official estimates at the Military Aviation School of Córdoba, transforming the provincial capital into the site of an impressive profession of faith.

The itinerary of His Holiness began early in the morning from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, where he maintained his temporary residence. At 7:43 AM, the papal aircraft took off from the Metropolitan Airport of Buenos Aires heading to the interior of the country. At 9:00 AM, the delegation landed at the Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio Taravella International Airport in the city of Córdoba.

At the foot of the staircase, the Pontiff was received in a framework of high republican solemnity by an official delegation composed of:

Martín Llaryora (Governor of the province of Córdoba).

Daniel Passerini (Mayor of the city of Córdoba).

Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi (Archbishop of Córdoba).

After the customary diplomatic greetings, the Holy Father broke the protocol barrier to share emotional moments with groups of students from the Ceferino Namuncurá School —coming from the Altas Cumbres— and various educational delegations. Subsequently, the delegation boarded the papamóvil to travel to the military site. Unlike the route taken on Monday in Buenos Aires, the vehicle moved at a slower pace, allowing León XIV to stop and personally greet the faithful who filled the avenues, even taking the gesture of approaching to bless a person with a disability who was waiting for him at the access area. Along the route, recorded by the press at 00:34 and 00:19, a large choir performed classic hymns such as “Alma misionera”, accompanied by popular cheers of “Papa León” and “Long live the Pope!”.

Precisely from the altar erected in the esplanade of the Military Aviation School, Pope León XIV began the liturgical celebration focusing his teaching on the Mediterranean Catholic tradition, the liturgical memory of the holy pope Saint Leo the Great, and the irrefutable call to ethical testimony in public life.

At the opening of his sermon, His Holiness proclaimed the guiding principle of his homily: “We are all called to holiness”. The Holy Father emphasized that the spiritual legacy left by the great figures of the local Catholic Church expresses a perfect synthesis based on “the unity between passion for the Gospel and commitment to building a fraternal and supportive homeland”. With absolute clarity, León XIV affirmed the pedagogical and moral maxim that should guide both rulers and citizens alike: “There is no better way to teach than by giving example with one’s own life”.

In a detailed doctrinal journey, Pope León XIV upheld the living testimony of the national saints and blesseds as concrete embodiments of charity, patriotism, and social justice:

Saint José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero (Cura Brochero): The Pontiff praised the emblematic Cordoban priest as a "true lover of the Lord" who shaped his life in the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and embodied the mandate of Psalm 36:3 (“Trust in the Lord and do good”), spending his strength with the sole aid of the crucifix and the holy rosary.

Saint María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa (Mama Antula): His Holiness highlighted the first Argentine saint for combining contemplation with direct assistance to others under the maxim of "going where God is not known, to make Him known". Remembering Pope Francis and his Message for the III World Day of the Poor (June 13, 2019, numeral 8), he pointed out that true charity lies in bringing souls closer to God.

Martyrs of the Faith: He paid tribute to Saint Héctor Valdivielso Sáez and the blessed martyrs of the Spanish Civil War, as well as in the Argentine provinces of La Rioja and Salta.

Shepherds of the People: He evoked the examples of the blessed Fray Mamerto Esquiú —a constitutional hero of 1853— and the blessed Cardinal Eduardo Pironio.

Consecrated Life: He emphasized the dedication of founders and inspectors such as Saint Nazaria Ignacia, the blesseds María del Tránsito Cabanillas and Catalina de María Rodríguez, as well as the blesseds María Ludovica de Angelis and Crescencia Pérez.

Lay and Secular Testimony: He upheld the baptismal vocation in the everyday lives of Saint Artemides Zatti, the blessed Ceferino Namuncurá, and the blessed Laura Vicuña.

Furthermore, the Holy Father supported his discourse by citing invaluable magisterial and historical sources:

The biblical epistle to Titus (Tt 2:1): «teach what is consistent with sound doctrine».

The Gospel of Saint Luke (Lc 17:10): «we are unworthy servants; we have only done what we ought to have done».

The magisterium of Saint Leo the Great (Sermon I on the Nativity of the Lord, PL 54, 192-193): «Recognize, O Christian, your dignity, for you participate in the divine nature, and do not wish to return to the old baseness with a depraved life...».

The historic-prophetic homily of Pope Saint John Paul II at the “Vélez Sarsfield” Stadium in Buenos Aires on April 10, 1987: «the world expects from us a commitment to life and a testimony of prayer».

In the final section of his magisterium, León XIV urged translating faith into operational actions within every sphere of civil society, exclaiming under the citation from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians (1 Th 4:3): “Open your hearts and, with the grace of God, go and be holy!: in school and in the square, in the family and with friends, in the countryside and in the city, in the dairy and in the office. Go and evangelize!”.

The Holy Mass was presided over at the altar by the venerated sculpture of the Poor Christ, a sacred piece that Cura Brochero himself commissioned to be carved from his sickbed, and in whose facial features the traits of the humble people were immortalized. The Pontiff concluded his liturgical invocation entrusting the homeland to Peter's confession in Saint Matthew (Mt 16:16): «You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God».

After the conclusion of the historic Mass in the esplanade of the Military Aviation School, Pope León XIV's agenda in the province continued with a private pastoral meeting at the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción with bishops, priests, deacons, religious, seminarians, and pastoral agents. Subsequently, the papal delegation began its return to the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires to preside over the night vigil with young people at the Monument to the Spaniards, before heading into the final leg of his tour of the country which will include visits to the Federal Penitentiary Complex of Villa Devoto and the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján prior to his departure to Peru.