Young Argentines camp overnight to see Pope Leo XIV in Buenos Aires

A crowd of young people gathered at the Monumento a los Españoles, a landmark in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, for Pope Leo XIV's meeting with Argentine youth during his apostolic visit to the country. The same site had hosted a Mass the previous day attended by 2.5 million people.

Groups of young people arrived in waves wearing matching shirts, caps and flags and camped around the monument to secure the best spots. Many began settling in overnight from Monday, November 9, as happens outside stadiums when an international performer visits Argentina.

What the campers were hoping for

Among the first to arrive were Alexander Aranda and Morena Cruz, who turned up at 8 p.m. on Monday. "It's the pope. It's been a long time since a pope visited us, and this, the meeting with young people, the fact that he invited us, seems very important to me," Morena said. Nicolás, another of those who got up early to claim a good spot, said that on this visit the pope "comes to sow what we will later have to begin to harvest, all the fruits of what he comes to tell us, to teach us, because he is a pilgrim of peace, of hope."

Registration for the event was open to those up to age 35, though people who had not registered were also able to take part.

Music and testimonies before the pope arrived

Argentine performers took the stage before Leo XIV arrived. The trio Dos más Uno, Valentino Merlo and Maggie Cullen warmed up the crowd with their songs. Athenas, Vero Sanfilippo, Maxi Larghi, Mechi Ruiz Luque and Joaquín Chávez, all figures in the country's Catholic music scene, also performed.

Students from schools taking part in Con Alas y Raíces, a listening process for young people run by the Consejo Superior de Educación Católica (Consudec), Argentina's Catholic education council, shared their experiences. Giant screens set up along roughly three kilometers (two miles) allowed everyone present to follow the pope's arrival live, and families brought babies forward for his blessing. Several priests heard confessions in the open air.

A night of prayer and youth testimonies

Leo XIV was met with a sustained ovation that soon gave way to silence. After a welcome from the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, four young people gave their testimonies and put a series of questions to the pope, which he answered. The crowd rose again when the pope thanked them for a welcome "that perhaps only Argentina can give," and answered with the chant "Olé, olé, olé, olé, León, León."

Singer Nahuel Pennisi performed "Yo vengo a ofrecer mi corazón," written by Fito Páez. Maggie Cullen followed with "Oración del remanso," by Jorge Fandermole, and Valentino Merlo sang "Tierra Santa" accompanied by the Ballet Folklórico Nacional.

Four young people voiced prayer intentions alongside the pope, calling on the Holy Spirit. Those present held lit candles as the prayer to Jesus Christ asked "that the light of Your Love be kindled in our hearts and that we may receive your life in abundance." The crowd then sang that song as two young people carried onto the stage the cross that will travel through communities, and which the pope blessed moments later.

The pope's message: freedom from idols

Leo XIV told the young people: "You are called to stand firm against the idols of our time. Do not kneel before what cannot give you life! And if you have ever fallen, get up! Do not let anything or anyone take away the freedom God has given you."

He summed up his message in one phrase during the meeting: "All for Christ, all with Christ, all like Christ." The crowd answered with adapted chants, "Dale León, dale León," and with cheers for the successor of St. Peter.

At the end of the meeting, the pope went up to the image of Our Lady of Luján and prayed briefly before it. The choir closed with "Bendita sea tu pureza." A fireworks display ended the city's farewell to the pope.

The apostolic visit ends on Wednesday, November 11, in Luján, site of the national shrine, with a Mass expected to draw more people than the one celebrated on Monday.