Pope Leo XIV visited the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione center in Claypole, in the Almirante Brown district, about 30 kilometers south of Buenos Aires. There he was welcomed enthusiastically by residents and believers who had gathered along the route, Euronews reports.
This is one stop of the Pope’s visit to Argentina, part of his tour of South America. He then walked among the faithful and stopped in the chapel before the relic of the heart of Saint Louis Orione. During the visit, the Pope unveiled a commemorative plaque and toured part of the 50-hectare center.
It houses more than 400 people with disabilities in 16 homes. He was received by Bishop Jorge Rubén Lugones of Lomas de Zamora and by the center’s director, Brother Jorge David Silanes. Addressing the residents, Pope Leo XIV stated that their lives “are not a burden to society, they are a blessing.”
He also stressed that a nation’s progress is measured by how it treats people with disabilities. The visit is part of the Pope’s 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru. Argentina is the homeland of his predecessor, Pope Francis, and had not hosted a sitting pope since John Paul II’s visit in 1987.
Leo XIV arrived in Buenos Aires on Sunday, November 8, where he was welcomed by President Javier Milei at Jorge Newbery Airport. The choice of Don Orione, founded in 1935 as a “city of charity,” drew attention to care services. This comes at a time when funding for disability care is politically contested.