Celebration of Vespers with the Argentine Episcopate and the Synodal Teams in the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity
At approximately 18.45 (22.45 in Rome), Pope Leo XIV arrived by car at the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity for the celebration of Vespers with the Argentine episcopate and the Synodal teams.
Upon arrival, the Pope was welcomed at the entrance of the Cathedral by the President of the Episcopal Conference, Bishop Marcelo Daniel Colombo, Archbishop Jorge García Cuerva of Buenos Aires, and the Rector, Father Alejandro Russo, who brought the cross and holy water for aspersion. Accompanied by those present, he then went to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament for a moment of quiet reflection. He subsequently made his way to the back of the presbytery to pay tribute to the memory of Pope Francis and, together with some children, lay flowers at the commemorative plaque. Finally, he proceeded to the sacristy.
After the words of welcome from the President of the Episcopal Conference the presentation of the gifts took place, and during the celebration of Vespers, the Holy Father delivered his homily.
The following is the homily delivered by Pope Leo XIV during the celebration of Vespers:
Homily of the Holy Father
our Eminences,
Your Excellencies,
Dear members of the synodal teams,
Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
During this moment of prayer, I would like us to journey together imaginatively through the different regions of this beautiful country. In each of its provinces, our faith has taken root in diverse peoples and cultures, giving rise to unique expressions of Christian life, but without losing the unity that comes from following Christ. Let us think of the northwest, with its simple faith and deep devotions. Let us go to the coast, with its great rivers and fields sown with the promise of the future. Let us cross over to the northeast, to marvel at its marvelous waterfalls and vast yerba mate fields, which characterize the customs of the entire Southern Cone. Let us turn to the Cuyo region, where the vines bring joy to the human heart. Let us pass through the plains and appreciate the wisdom of those who work the land. Let us climb the mountain ranges and, from on high, appreciate the gifts of creation. Let us go south, where the cold and the deserts do not prevent the warm welcome of faith.
Amid this geographic and cultural diversity, we find a maternal presence that accompanies its inhabitants and toward whom the people express their affection through processions and pilgrimages, on journeys of faith and promises made, traveled on foot or on horseback, as well as in poems, prayers and songs that rise up in honor of her name. I am speaking of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, whom this people venerates under various titles: the Most Holy Virgin of the Miracle, Our Lady of the Valley, the Virgin of the Rosary, Mary of Itatí and Our Lady of Luján. She, who remained united with the apostles in prayer, also accompanies the Church today who proclaims her son (cf. Acts 1:14). In every corner of this Marian land, from the largest cities to the smallest villages, there are brothers and sisters waiting to hear the Good News of the Gospel. That is why the motto of this Apostolic Journey takes on special meaning: Everyone is welcome. Go and proclaim!
Having traveled through the country in our imagination and renewed our desire to go out and evangelize, let us now turn our gaze to this Cathedral where we are gathered. It is providential that we are able to celebrate the Second Vespers of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran, “mother and head of all the Churches of the City and the World,” in this splendid Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, the mother church of Buenos Aires, where the remains of General José Francisco de San Martín, the father of the Nation, are buried.
The feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica invites us to contemplate the mystery of the Church, built upon Christ, the cornerstone, in which all of us, as living stones, are called to form a spiritual dwelling place (cf. 1 Pet 2:4–5). The status of Saint John Lateran as the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome gives this celebration a special significance of communion with the See of Peter, and that bond becomes especially close as we celebrate it in this Cathedral, whose see was occupied by our beloved Pope Francis before he was called to shepherd the universal Church. It is also an invitation to all the faithful to live out the unity of faith and love, and to recognize that, through Baptism, each person has received gifts that must be placed at the service of the entire Church.
This communion, which has its source in the mystery of the Holy Trinity, unites the bishops among themselves and with the Successor of Peter, and is also manifested in every particular Church, where the bishop, together with his presbyterate and the faithful entrusted to him, is called to preserve unity in faith and charity (cf. Lumen Gentium, 23).
In this regard, I would like to highlight the witness of distinguished Argentine bishops who knew how to work for unity and peace, such as Blesseds Mamerto Esquiú, Enrique Angelelli, and Eduardo Pironio. “Their lives reveal how the same mission can take different forms according to times and circumstances and they form a school of shepherds born of our ecclesial history. Indeed, the saints continue to form saints (cf. Heb 13:7)” (Letter to the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, 8 September 2026).
The Church, founded by Jesus Christ, is, in him, “a sacrament — a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” (Lumen Gentium, 1). This unity, which we receive as a gift, also commits us to reconciliation. The relief on the façade of this Cathedral, depicting Joseph’s reunion with his father Jacob and his brothers, reminds us how God opens paths of life even where human beings have sown division. Joseph, who had suffered at the hands of his brothers, forgives them and becomes an instrument of salvation for those who had harmed him. He himself recognizes God’s providential action in the midst of that painful story: “Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good” (Gen 50:20). Reconciliation requires acknowledging wounds, letting go of resentment and allowing God’s grace to transform our relationships with one another. Our pastoral mission consists in working tirelessly so that all people, both those who are near as well as those who are far away, may come to know Christ and recognize one another as brothers and sisters.
The diversity of this land is also evident in its particular Churches, each with its own traditions and pastoral expressions. In all of them, “the Church of Christ is truly present and operative” (Christus Dominus, 11). This diversity finds its unity in the same faith, in the sacraments and in ecclesial communion. All share in the Church’s mission so that the joy of the Gospel may reach everyone. Therefore, let us cultivate communion, welcoming our legitimate differences with charity and fostering fraternity, so that our unity may make Christ’s love visible and help many to encounter him.
Dear Bishops, as I recently wrote to you, “amidst the many duties that fill our day, we have been sent to proclaim the Good News” (Letter to the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, 8 September 2026). May the proclamation of Jesus Christ therefore remain at the center of all our pastoral work. Let us continue to promote the formation of pastoral workers who are responsible for preliminary evangelization and catechesis, the liturgy and charitable works. We must work together to foster priestly and religious vocations, to accompany families and to care for those living in poverty, who are unemployed or who lack decent housing. “The love of Christ urges us on!” (2 Cor 5:14).
The Church’s maternal concern finds a beautiful example in Mary, who at the wedding at Cana recognized the needs of that married couple and went to Jesus to bring them to his attention, then inviting the servants to obey his word (cf. Jn 2:3–5). That same concern must be evident in the ministry of Pastors, who are called to discern human realities in the light of the Gospel, listening to and understanding the specific circumstances of those entrusted to them. These include the unemployed, young people forced to emigrate, the elderly who have been neglected, and marginalized communities, as well as those who, even though their material needs have been met, experience a deep longing for God, for meaning and for hope. In situations that call for our help, there are many faces that challenge us and call us to share in the joys and sufferings of our people, inviting us to respond with the closeness and deeds demanded by the Gospel.
Dear brothers, I encourage you to support initiatives that benefit the people entrusted to your pastoral care. Rejoice in whatever promotes the life of your people: honest work, care for those most in need, and institutions that responsibly serve the common good. I likewise ask you to accompany those who, whether within the Church or in civil society, work for the integral development of every person. As we await that heavenly Jerusalem which we have contemplated in the brief reading, the hope of eternal blessings encourages us to seek justice and to cultivate fraternity on the earth (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 39).
I would like to encourage you, together with your synodal teams, as fellow disciples of the one Teacher, to continue listening to one another and discerning together what the Holy Spirit is asking of you in the light of the word of God and the Magisterium of the Church. In this way, you will be able to serve Argentina today. May he enlighten and strengthen you to translate into concrete decisions respect for the dignity of every person, the commitment to the universal destination of goods, the preferential option for the poor, and care for creation (cf. Magnifica Humanitas, 14).
Pope Francis, while visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida and recalling his experience at the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, said that he had been able to see firsthand “how the Bishops — who were discussing the theme of encountering Christ, discipleship and mission — felt encouraged, supported and in some way inspired by the thousands of pilgrims who came here day after day to entrust their lives to Our Lady” (Homily, Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Conception in Aparecida, 24 July 2013). In this regard, I would like to encourage you to continue working on the basis of the teachings of the Aparecida Document, as a guiding light to continue walking together in this time.
Dear brothers and sisters, Mary, Mother of Christ and our mother, is, par excellence, the dwelling place of God among humanity, for in her womb she welcomed the Eternal Word who became flesh. In her — who is the image and beginning of the Church, which will reach its fullness in glory — we catch a glimpse of the joy that has been promised to us, when God will dwell forever with his people in the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Lumen Gentium, 68). From her we learn to be attentive to God’s will and obedient to his word, as well as to be attentive to the needs of his children (cf. Saint Paul VI, Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus, 2 February 1974, 21). With her we long to dwell one day in that holy city, where nothing impure will have a place (cf. Rev 21:27).
Let us entrust to her our concerns and hopes, our ministry and our pastoral mission. Let us also ask her to intercede with her son, as she did at the wedding at Cana, so that he may grant us what we need, especially the grace of constant conversion, which purifies our hearts and prepares us to share in the eternal joy of his kingdom. Amen.
