Pope Leo's visit to Argentina is the trip many hoped Francis would make: what to know

Pope Leo's visit to Argentina is the trip many hoped Francis would make: what to know On Sunday, Pope Leo's arrival in Argentina marks the second stop on his South American tour and a papal visit many Catholics hoped his predecessor Francis would make. Rev. Lorenzo Toto de Vedia who works with poor communities in the 21-24 neighborhood in Buenos Aires said: 'Leo is going to make the visit that Francis never did.' Bergoglio often visited the area as Archbishop of Buenos Aires with residents saying that while they mourn that his return as pope never materialized, they honor his legacy of his institutional reform and advocacy for the vulnerable. The 71-year-old will remain in Argentine until Wednesday before traveling to Peru where he spent years officiating as a bishop. Leo will arrive at a time of friction between libertarian President Javier Milei's government and Argentina's Catholic Church which has underscored the impact of his austerity measures on the poor; although Milei has maintained that his austerity is crucial to bringing inflation under control. On Saturday, Pope Leo urged the people of South America to bridge the gap between their countries as he led a rally on the Uruguay-Argentina border attended by tens of thousands of followers during his 12-day trip across a deeply polarized region.