Vatican Report | Wednesday evening, 11 November 2026

Day 6 of the Apostolic Journey to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru: Leo XIV visited inmates at the Buenos Aires Federal Penitentiary Complex, celebrated his last Mass in Argentina at Luján, said farewell to the country and arrived in the evening in Lima, where he met the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Gran Teatro Nacional. 🔒 With the inmates of Buenos Aires Leaving the Apostolic Nunciature at 7.10 a.m. local time (11.10 a.m. in Rome), the Pope reached the Federal Penitentiary Complex with Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva. After the testimonies of two inmates and of a man who has served his sentence, he reflected on the experience of our limitations: "Your time in this institution can be an opportunity to begin anew, making peace with God and returning without fear to the embrace of your families and society." And: "With God's grace, it is possible to move beyond total darkness and kindle small lights of hope" (Holy See Press Office Bulletin). ⛪ The last Mass in Argentina, at Luján At 10 a.m. local time (2 p.m. in Rome) the Pope presided over Mass in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, in the presence of more than two million faithful according to local authorities. In his homily he remembered Pope Francis, "who always carried the Patroncita morena in his heart", and launched the appeal: "Argentina, rise up and walk!" He then entrusted his ministry to the Virgin: "Mother of Luján, my Pontificate began on 8 May, your feast day. […] Guide me, Mother, in the apostolic mission the Lord has entrusted to me." In his final words of thanks: "Thank you, Argentina, for welcoming me with open arms!" and "Farewell, beloved Argentina!" After the presentation of the gift and the Golden Rose, he greeted the volunteers of the journey at Villa Marista San José de Luján. ✈️ Farewell and the flight to Lima At Ministro Pistarini International Airport, President Javier Milei bade the Pope farewell. The plane took off at 2.38 p.m. local time (6.38 p.m. in Rome) and landed at Callao Air Base at 5.01 p.m. (11.01 p.m. in Rome). In his telegram to the Argentine president, Leo XIV expressed gratitude "for the kind welcome and many gestures of fraternity"; flying over Chile he sent greetings to President José Antonio Kast. At Callao he was welcomed by the President of the Republic, Keiko Fujimori, and by two children with flowers; from the control tower came the message "Welcome home" (Vatican News). 🇵🇪 Lima, a return "to my homeland" Some three million people lined the streets of Lima, according to local authorities cited by Vatican News. At the Palacio de Gobierno, after the welcome ceremony with the national anthem, the Pope greeted the staff, convinced that "if we walk together, we can achieve great things" (Vatican News, our translation). At the Gran Teatro Nacional, welcomed with long applause and the chant "El Papa es peruano", he gave his first address in Peru as Pontiff, after the greeting of President Fujimori: "This return visit holds a very special meaning for me" (Vatican News). "If I were given the chance to relive those years, I would do it again with joy, embracing both the happy moments and the difficulties. That is why I can tell you, with deep gratitude, that I am also returning to my homeland" (our translation). He reminded the authorities that "public decisions also affect those who live far from the places where they are made. But this distance should never become forgetfulness", and that "there are goods no economic prosperity can replace: peace of conscience, the certainty of being loved and the freedom to seek the truth" (our translation). He closed with thanks: "I have received much from you. […] May God bless Peru and all its people!" (our translation; the full text is not yet in the Bulletin). 📰 From the Holy See In the 11 November Bulletin, besides the reports and texts of the day: the resignation of Cardinal Juan José Omella from the Archdiocese of Barcelona, to which Bishop Octavi Vilà Mayo, until now Bishop of Girona, is transferred; the erection of the Diocese of Nzega (Tanzania), with Fr Joseph Mashaka Triphon, C.S.Sp., as its first bishop; and the appointment of Fr Maximilian Francis Buluma as auxiliary of Mwanza (Tanzania). In Argentina, Archbishop Héctor Aguer, emeritus of La Plata, died aged 83 (statement of the archdiocese). 📅 Thursday 12 November In Lima, at 3.30 p.m. (Rome time), the meeting with the bishops of Peru in the chapel of the Archbishop's Palace; at 4.20 p.m., Midday Prayer with bishops, priests, religious, seminarians, synodal teams and pastoral councils in the Cathedral; at 5.30 p.m., the meeting on the challenges and hopes for the future of the Peruvian people, in front of the Cathedral. At midnight (00:00 on Friday 13, Rome time), the prayer vigil with young people and university students at the Estadio Monumental in Lima. Photo: Vatican Media via @CatholicSat, @vaticannews_es and @vaticannews_it