Catholic faithful in Argentina make pilgrimage to Luján ahead of Pope Leo XIV's visit

Thousands of Argentines embarked on a 60-kilometre pilgrimage from Buenos Aires to the shrine of the Virgin of Luján on Sunday, just over a month before Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the site. The neo-Gothic basilica, which towers through the mist, was the destination of the 52nd Youth Pilgrimage to Luján, marking one of Argentina's largest popular expressions of Catholic faith.

Pilgrims, exhausted yet exhilarated, arrived at the shrine, many sleeping on pavements and struggling with swollen, blistered feet as they watched a continuous stream of newly arrived faithful carrying flags and banners. Alexis Vaquer, a 42-year-old IT worker, arrived after 20 hours of walking, thanking the Virgin for granting his wish, though he could not fully express the indescribable feeling of the experience.

Jorge García Cuerva, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, emphasized during the main Mass that the pilgrimage united people without ideological divisions or exclusions. This year's pilgrimage takes on added significance as Pope Leo XIV is due to visit the site on November 11. The Argentine government anticipates two million participants, with the Buenos Aires Province expecting a large turnout.

For Vaquer, the Pope's visit serves as a remedy for the absence of Pope Francis, who died in 2025. Anabela García, a teacher leading a group of young people, expressed emotional significance for the pope's visit, describing it as spectacular and historically important. The Virgin of Luján's devotion dates back to 1630, when a landowner in Santiago del Estero commissioned an image of the Virgin from Brazil, which later became a place of pilgrimage.