Christian World | Pope Leo told about 650,000 people at a Mass in Córdoba, Argentina, that all Christians are called to holiness and that mission is a 'joyful duty'

ACW | November 11, 2026 — All Christians are called to holiness, and carrying out their mission is a "joyful duty," Pope Leo XIV told a Mass in Córdoba, Argentina, on Tuesday, Vatican News reported.

The Mass was celebrated "for the sanctification of the Argentine people" on the feast of Pope St. Leo the Great, Vatican News said. About 650,000 people attended on the grounds of a military aviation school on the outskirts of Córdoba, according to local authorities cited by EWTN News.

In his homily, the pope recalled St. José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero and St. María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, known as "Mama Antula." Both were canonized by Pope Francis, and Mama Antula became Argentina's first female saint in 2024, The Associated Press reported.

"Today, it falls to us to follow the luminous path of holiness they have left behind," the pope said. "There is no better way to teach than by setting an example with one's own life," he said, according to EWTN News, before closing with a call to "go and evangelize."

After the Mass, he urged Argentines to stay united from the archbishop's residence, Vatican News said. Later that day he told clergy, religious and pastoral workers at Córdoba's cathedral: "Let us not give up!"

Background: Pope Leo's 12-day Latin America trip began in Uruguay on Nov. 6, and Córdoba is his second Argentine stop after Buenos Aires. ACW earlier reported that Pope Leo tells Argentine families their Church needs them.

Why it matters: In the homily, the pope called Argentina "rich in the fruits of holiness" and said its saints combined a passion for the Gospel with commitment to a nation built on fraternity and solidarity, Vatican News reported.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: Vatican News — Pope at Mass in Argentina: Mission is a 'joyful duty'; EWTN News — Pope Leo XIV lauds an Argentine city as a 'home of saints'; The Associated Press (via Crux) — Pope urges Argentines to follow model of saints; Vatican News — Pope to Argentina's clergy and religious: 'Let us not give up!'

Photo: Vatican Media (via Vatican News)