The key facts

  • Leo XIV visited the Don Orione center in Claypole, where more than 400 people with disabilities live in 16 houses
  • The pope called the lives of people with disabilities a 'blessing' rather than 'a burden to society'
  • The visit is part of a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru; Argentina had not hosted a reigning pope since 1987

A visit to the 'city of mercy'

Pope Leo XIV on Monday, November 9, visited the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione center in Claypole, in the Almirante Brown partido about 30 km south of Buenos Aires. As video published by Euronews shows, the pontiff rode part of the way in the popemobile, greeting those gathered along the route, then stepped out to greet people at the entrance and walked past the faithful. In the chapel, he stopped before the relic of Saint Luigi Orione's heart.

What happens at the center and what the pope said

The Don Orione center, founded in 1935 as a 'city of mercy,' covers 50 hectares and includes 16 houses where more than 400 people with disabilities live. The pope unveiled a commemorative plaque and toured part of the grounds. He was welcomed by the Bishop of Lomas de Zamora, Jorge Rubén Lugones, and the center's director, Brother Jorge David Silanes. Addressing the residents, Leo XIV said their lives 'are not a burden to society, they are a blessing,' adding that a nation's progress is measured by how it embraces people with disabilities. According to Euronews, the choice of the Don Orione center drew attention to care services at a time when funding for assistance to people with disabilities has become the subject of political disputes in the country.

Context of the trip

The visit to Claypole is part of Leo XIV's 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. The pope arrived in Buenos Aires on Sunday, November 8, where President Javier Milei greeted him at Jorge Newbery Airport. Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor Pope Francis, had not hosted a reigning pontiff since John Paul II's visit in 1987.