ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
“Palacio Libertad, Centro Cultural Domingo Faustino Sarmiento” (Buenos Aires)
Sunday, 8 November 2026
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Mr President of the Republic,
Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very pleased to be here today in this beloved land of Argentina. Mr President, I thank you for your cordial words of greeting and for the welcome that, through you, your fellow citizens have extended to me. My greetings also go to the members of the Diplomatic Corps and the other Authorities present, and I extend my affectionate greetings to all the Argentinian people.
I have come as the Successor of the Apostle Peter and, therefore, as a Pastor. I wish to meet with the pilgrim Church in this land and to address the entire nation, together with those who have the task of serving it. The Church accompanies the lives of all peoples by virtue of the mission entrusted to her. Consequently, she also wishes to propose to those who hold public office a message inspired by the Gospel and aimed at safeguarding the dignity of every person, civic concord, and the common good.
My arrival in this land is personally meaningful. For years, the universal Church listened to the voice of an Argentinian Pope, who treasured, in his memories and in his heart, the places, the people and the faith that he received here. Today, as his Successor in the Petrine ministry, I am in some sense retracing his steps in this country where the personal history of Pope Francis would later be joined to that of the entire Church. To come to the land in which he was raised is also to draw near to a much greater history, made up of generations of men and women who, before and after him, have inherited this homeland and left it a part of themselves.
Some of them were born here; others came from afar and here found a home; others still belong to the indigenous peoples whose presence predates the birth of the nation. From that encounter between diverse backgrounds and experiences, a people gradually took shape over time — a people who have learned to open their doors, to make room for the newly arrived and to preserve, even amid times of difficulty, a remarkable ability to rebound and move forward. All of them have contributed to the Argentina that I now have the joy of visiting. No generation builds its homeland from scratch. It inherits it.
It inherits it through a language and bonds that predate it, through institutions that others founded and through assets that have grown thanks to the work of many others. That history combines both reasons for gratitude and painful memories. It is up to each generation to discern what deserves to be preserved, to confront past injustices and to add to its shared material and spiritual patrimony. The nation that is yours today will be inherited by others tomorrow.
Argentina’s culture offers some of the most characteristic expressions of that heritage. Your country has made itself heard with a voice recognizable far beyond its borders: in José Hernández’s Martín Fierro; in the pages of Jorge Luis Borges and all those other writers who have enriched the Spanish language with Rio Plata accents; in the tango, born from the encounter of different neighborhoods, ports and backgrounds. But also in the music and traditions of the interior, in theater and in everyday gestures as simple as that of sharing a drink of mate, which turns a moment of relaxation into an opportunity for conversation and closeness. These are various expressions of a collective memory passed down from previous generations and entrusted to the creativity of those yet to come.
The Christian faith is deeply rooted in this heritage. It has left its mark on the nation’s memory and lives on in the countless Argentinians who have found in the Gospel a source of meaning, hope and fraternity.
Sharing a common heritage entails learning to live together, even amid differences of opinion. History teaches us how much a people can grow when their disagreements become an opportunity for dialogue and encounter. Democracy, then, is also a part of Argentina’s heritage that needs to be safeguarded. The freedom to elect one’s own leaders through the ballot box, to participate in public life, freely to express one’s convictions, to have confidence in the law, and to view institutions as serving the interests of all parties: these are values that are consolidated over time and that each generation is called to care for and strengthen (cf. Saint John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, 46).
Democracy is also strengthened by the daily conduct of public life: through willingness to listen, through careful use of words, through the patient search for agreement, and through the ability to see those who think differently as fellow citizens with whom we share a common future. In this way, a spirit of trust is created, one that enables a society to deal with its differences without losing sight of the things that keep it united.
Those entrusted with public office are charged with a particularly demanding task. Authority is most authentic when it is exercised as service, when it looks beyond the immediate, and when it uses its power to promote the welfare of all. Those who exercise authority have a duty to act with prudence, to acknowledge the limits of the power entrusted to them, and to direct their decisions toward the good of the entire community (cf. Saint John XXIII, Pacem in Terris, 53–60).
The common good that authority is called to serve must also be discerned concretely in the circumstances of everyday life. Here, the family, the basic unit of society, plays an essential role. Within the family, each individual learns to discover that his or her life is linked to that of others and is responsible for them. At home, we learn to care for the weak, to forgive, to share and to remain close to those in need; in the family too, many men and women receive the first seeds of faith.
A fundamental element of the common good is the capacity to earn a living through one’s own work. This land knows well and esteems the efforts of all those who work for a living, in the countryside and in the cities, in shops and factories, in schools and in hospitals, as well as those who start businesses and those who work to support their families, day after day. Work enables men and women to provide for their loved ones, to develop their abilities and to feel that they are participating in the building up of their homeland (cf. Dilexi Te, 115). For this reason, efforts should be made to promote whatever creates opportunities, stimulates private initiative and ensures that economic growth also benefits those who are disadvantaged. Here I think of families facing an uncertain future, the unemployed, the elderly who for years contributed to society, and all those who, despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs.
Argentina possesses an abundance of human resources. To make this wealth bear fruit for the benefit of all, particular attention should be given to the young. The opportunities they encounter today will largely determine whether they will be able to realize their hopes in life here. A nation must seriously ask itself where it has failed when its young people have to leave their homeland in order to make their dreams come true.
Specifically, creating the conditions for the young freely to plan their future in Argentina means bolstering education, vocational training, universities and research. Throughout its history, this nation has sought to extend education to ever broader sectors of society. Thanks to that effort, generations of Argentinians have been able to cultivate their abilities and contribute to the country’s development through a wide range of trades and professions. Preserving and strengthening this commitment to education requires providing young people with an education that allows them to discover their talents, to develop them and to put them at the service of others (cf. Saint Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, 14–15). This commitment also involves trusting young people, recognizing their capacity for initiative, and making room for them to contribute their own ideas and take on responsibilities. The nation needs to rely on their intelligence, creativity, and participation, starting now.
With these considerations, another question arises: What place do children not yet born occupy in our decision-making? Before asking ourselves what kind of world we will leave our children, we must first recognize their dignity. Our responsibility toward future generations begins with welcoming life from its very first moments and safeguarding it until its natural end (cf. Saint John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 101). That same dignity requires that particular concern be shown for those affected by illness, dependency and disability. Here too, we have a duty to care for others, to alleviate suffering, to accompany them, and to ensure that every person feels that his or her life always retains a value that no circumstance can diminish.
This responsibility toward our fellow men and women also extends to the care of the earth. Argentina has been blessed by God with extraordinary natural wealth. Its fields, water reserves, energy sources, minerals, and the diversity of its ecosystems offer vast possibilities for development. A truly human ecology will combine care for creation with care for people, and ensure that the use of those resources contributes to the wellbeing of communities and preserves the conditions that make life and work possible in their territories (cf. Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate, 51).
Rapid technological advances, in turn, are opening up possibilities that were barely imaginable just a few years ago. They are also raising far-reaching questions, especially with regard to artificial intelligence. Medicine, education, production and research now have tools capable of profoundly transforming human life. These advances call for a careful consideration of the consequences of their application and the responsibilities of those who decide how to use them. Technological development requires an ethical consciousness that is equal to its challenges (cf. Francis, Laudate Deum, 21–24).
Many of these responsibilities extend beyond the boundaries of any single State. Great rivers unite territories; ecosystems stretch from one country to another; energy, food, knowledge and human mobility create bonds that transcend borders. Thinking about Argentina’s future thus also makes us look toward the peoples with which it shares this continent. South America possesses great human and natural wealth, and its peoples share historical ties and cultural traditions that offer a broad scope for cooperation. Argentina can contribute to such cooperation by virtue of its experience and capabilities. Increasing opportunities for encounter and collaboration is one way of jointly assuming responsibilities that no country can face alone.
Cooperation of this sort is likewise necessary in the face of serious threats. Organized crime, human trafficking networks, arms and drug trafficking together with corruption all undermine social cohesion, fuel violence and divert resources necessary for the common good. In the face of these realities, coordinated action among States and the strengthening of institutions are indispensable. The latter process depends on the personal integrity of those entrusted with the responsibility of governing, for corruption undermines the confidence of citizens in their institutions (cf. Saint John Paul II, Ecclesia in America, 23 and 60).
This common cause finds one of its highest expressions in the service of peace. The legitimate interests of each nation must be defended by means of dialogue, respect for the law, and a constant effort to reach agreement. South America has been able, at troubled times in its history, to find processes of negotiation and understanding in order to surmount grave tensions. Argentina is called to preserve this readiness to engage in dialogue and to help ensure that it continues to bear fruit.
The Church, for her part, wishes to contribute to this shared spirit of responsibility. Her presence in Argentina is part of a history that spans the entire American continent. For centuries, the Church has walked alongside the peoples of the continent, proclaiming the Gospel and celebrating the faith, educating, caring for the sick, standing with the poor, supporting families, and promoting peace and reconciliation.
That mission is rooted in the love of Christ, who shed his blood for all. It continues today in parishes and communities that are called to keep their doors always open, so that every person may find there a warm welcome and a sense of closeness. “Welcome everyone” (cf. Mt 22:9-10) expresses, in a few words, the universal invitation of the Gospel, which reaches every person and calls them to an encounter with Christ and to conversion. This welcome also gives rise to the Church’s mission: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news” (cf. Mk 16:15). Obedience to that command continues to bear fruit in schools and universities, in social initiatives, and in the daily witness of all those men and women who place their faith at the service of others.
There are goods that a society requires and that no public policy can produce on its own. Trust, forgiveness, readiness to serve, and the recognition that one’s life has a meaning that transcends success or utility: these goods are cultivated in the conscience of individuals and in the lives of families and communities. Faith nourishes and sustains these values. For this reason, the Church wishes to remain close to Argentina, to share in its burdens and joys, and to offer it the hope that springs from the Gospel.
In looking back on the path this nation has traveled, there is one image that keeps returning to mind, namely that each generation inherits a homeland that it has received from the hands of others. For a certain time, that generation is called to live on the land, to guard and preserve it, and to help it grow. Then, it must pass it on to others in turn (cf. Francis, Laudato Si’, 159). Indeed, as Gardel sang, life is but a breath, yet the good that each generation preserves, and passes on, endures. Faith invites us to lift our gaze even higher, toward the eternal happiness to which God calls us.
Dear Argentinian friends, much of that responsibility rests in your hands today. The extraordinary heritage you possess allows you to look to the future with confidence. It is now up to you to bring to fruition all that you have inherited and to keep alive that commitment to “establish national unity,” proclaimed in the Preamble of your Constitution. May those who come after you inherit a united homeland, worthy of its history and the possibilities it holds.
Finally, my thoughts turn to Our Lady of Luján, the silent guardian of your memory. Generation after generation, mothers and fathers, workers, young people, and the elderly from every corner of the country have come before her image, bringing with them the concerns and hopes of their time. To those prayers I now wish to add my own. I want to do so with the words that Pope Francis spoke with you in mind: “May the Lord help you grow as a people” (cf. Video Message to the Argentinian People, 30 September 2016). I make this heartfelt prayer to the Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady of Luján. May she continue to watch over this land, care for each of its children, and keep them always close to Jesus.
May God bless Argentina and all its people. Thank you very much.
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