Pope Leo in Argentina: Christian family remains ‘a pillar amid the many insecurities of our time’

Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics in Argentina Nov. 9 to reject claims that the Christian family is outdated, calling on parents and grandparents to pass on the faith and help renew the country through family life.

“Do not give in to those who dismiss the Christian family as outdated,” Pope Leo said in his homily during Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles in Buenos Aires. “On the contrary, today more than ever, it remains a pillar amid the many insecurities of our time.”

Pope Leo celebrated the Mass on the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, a day after he arrived in Argentina from Uruguay, beginning the second leg of his Nov. 6-17 apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. Argentine President Javier Milei welcomed him at Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Airport Nov. 8.

>> ‘Never tire of passing on the faith’: Pope Leo shares pro-life, pro-family messages in Uruguay <<

The Holy Father opened his homily by expressing joy at celebrating Mass with the faithful and praising the enthusiasm of their faith. According to local authorities cited by the Holy See Press Office, about 2.5 million people attended the Mass.

“My visit to this land of Argentina has allowed me to see on your faces the enthusiasm of your faith, that great gift of the Holy Spirit within us,” he said. “The most beautiful work the Lord has entrusted to us is his Church, made visible whenever the people of God gather around the same table to give him thanks.”

Turning to John’s Gospel account of Jesus driving merchants out of the temple, Pope Leo warned against treating faith as a transaction.

“Humanity has always been tempted to ‘bargain’ with God,” he said. “This is the pagan mentality of giving in order to receive — the illusion that we can win God’s favor by offering him something of our own in return.” 

The Pope said Christ “uproots this way of thinking, for God is Father, always ready to give us every good thing.” 

He then reflected on the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of water flowing from the temple and bringing life to barren places.

“Where there was death, now there is life; where there was sickness, now there is health; where there was barrenness, now there is fruitfulness,” he said. 

Connecting the readings to family life, the Pope identified hardships families face, including “instability, social hardship, precarious employment, domestic violence, painful separations, and addictions that destroy young people’s futures and damage family relationships.”

“Amid all these hardships and crises, God’s word shines out as a source of hope: God is in our midst; we need not be afraid,” he said, adding that families and society as a whole find in Christ the “foundation that sustains the house and protects it from the storms that beat against it.”

Pope Leo described the Church as offering the living water of Christ, who heals wounds and strengthens families, and urged families to welcome Christ’s grace.

“With him and in him, every family can become a seed of genuine renewal for this country,” he said.

The Holy Father encouraged parents to speak openly about Jesus and make faith part of everyday life, reflecting a message he had given those in Uruguay. 

“Open the doors of your homes to Christ!” he said. “Speak naturally to your children about Jesus, and remain united to him.”

“In the intimacy of the home, faith is passed on along with life itself, through the simplest gestures,” he said, citing “a blessing before meals, a prayer before going to bed, forgiveness and mutual listening, grandparents teaching their grandchildren to pray, going to Mass on Sundays, and preparing for a retreat or a pilgrimage.”

Recalling his predecessor, Pope Francis, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Leo quoted the late pontiff’s teaching in Amoris Laetitia that “the family is called to join in daily prayer, to read the word of God and to share in Eucharistic communion, and thus to grow in love and become ever more fully a temple in which the Spirit dwells.”

“Dear families, I encourage you to take a leading role in evangelization!” Pope Leo said. “The Church in Argentina needs you.” 

He also cited Saint John Paul II’s teaching in Familiaris Consortio that the family’s educational mission is “a true ministry through which the Gospel is transmitted and radiated.”

The Pope closed by entrusting families to Our Lady of Luján and to her spouse, Saint Joseph.

“In the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Son of God found a home in this world. May he bless us, so that our homes, too, may become temples of his presence.”