Christian World | Pope Leo XIV told an estimated 1 million young people at a Buenos Aires prayer vigil to reject modern idols, saying it is never too late to return to Christ

ACW | November 11, 2026 — Pope Leo XIV urged young people at a prayer vigil in Buenos Aires on Tuesday not to "bow down before anything that cannot give you life," Vatican News reported.

The vigil was held at the Monumento de los Españoles in northern Buenos Aires, according to the official text of the address published by the Vatican. About 1 million young people attended, Vatican News said, without saying who made the estimate.

"Idols arise and demand our worship: success at any cost, money, an obsession with appearance," the pope said, according to EWTN News. "No one has fallen so low that Christ cannot raise them up."

Several young people gave testimonies and asked questions, Vatican News reported. Responding to a young woman, the pope asked, "Who told you that it was too late?" and said Jesus Christ knows her, loves her and wants her close to him.

Recalling Pope Francis' words that "everyone, everyone, everyone" is welcome in the Church, Leo said "we all need conversion" and that welcome does not mean moral indifference, EWTN News reported. He urged young people to share their bread with the hungry and open their doors to the homeless.

Background: The pope's journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru runs from Nov. 6 to 17, according to the Vatican. Earlier on Tuesday he celebrated Mass in Córdoba; ACW reported that Pope Leo hailed Córdoba as a 'home of saints'.

Why it matters: The pope paired two messages in the address, EWTN News reported: the Church's door is open to everyone, but welcome is not moral indifference, and everyone needs conversion.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Holy See — Prayer Vigil with Young People, Address of Pope Leo XIV; Vatican News — Pope to Argentine young people: ‘Who told you it was too late?’; EWTN News — Pope Leo XIV urges youth to shun ‘the idols of our time’

Photo: Vatican Media (via Vatican News)