The Argentine Episcopal Conference sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV to congratulate him on his 71st birthday, which is celebrated on September 14. In the message, the bishops expressed their closeness and joyfully anticipated the upcoming visit of the Pontiff to the country.
“The moment to receive him in our land is approaching,” they dedicated, adding: “Argentina awaits you with open arms.” The text is signed by Marcelo Colombo, Archbishop of Mendoza and President of the CEA; Ángel Rossi, Archbishop of Córdoba and 1st Vice President; César Daniel Fernández, Bishop of Jujuy and 2nd Vice President; and Raúl Pizarro, Auxiliary Bishop of San Isidro and General Secretary.
In the letter, the prelates thank Leo XIV for his life and assure him that they pray for his mission at the head of the Church, along with the Argentine faithful. “Happy birthday, Holy Father!” they wrote, in a tone of closeness and hope.
The message prepares for the arrival of the Pope, a trip that the Argentine Church has been awaiting since his election, after the previous pontiff did not carry it out. “This year our greeting also has a very special joy because the moment to receive him in our land is approaching. We hope for his visit with hope and are preparing to live those days together as a true encounter of faith for all our people,” the letter states.
The agenda of the papal trip
The visit is scheduled from November 8 to 11 and will include Buenos Aires, Claypole, Córdoba, and Luján. It will be the first trip of a Pope to the country in almost forty years. According to the agenda released by the Vatican and the CEA, Leo XIV will arrive on Sunday the 8th in the afternoon, will make a floral offering at Plaza San Martín, and will meet with President Javier Milei at the Casa Rosada before staying at the Apostolic Nunciature.
