Vatican advance team arrives in Buenos Aires for possible Pope Leo XIV visit

A Vatican advance team has arrived in Buenos Aires to assess logistics for a potential visit by Pope Leo XIV to Argentina, though no official date has been set. The president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Marcelo Colombo, confirmed that specialists from the Holy See toured the country to evaluate possible locations for the papal itinerary Source: La Republica Co. Colombo emphasized that dates circulating in the media are "hypotheses" and that the Church is still awaiting formal confirmation from the Vatican Source: Infobae.

Advance team and logistics

Colombo stated that the advance team included experts in security, logistics, and Vatican representatives who will coordinate with local authorities. The visit would likely include stops in Argentina, Uruguay, and Peru, with speculation about a three-day stay in Argentina Source: La Republica Co.

Status of the visit

Despite President Javier Milei's previous suggestion that a November visit was "highly probable," Colombo stressed that no official confirmation has been received. The new papal nuncio, Monsignor Michael Wallace Banach, arrived in Argentina on July 22 and will present his credentials to President Milei in the coming days, marking a decisive step in preparations Source: Infobae.

Key points

• Three informal commissions have been formed within the Argentine Church to work on pastoral, organizational, and security aspects of the visit Source: Infobae.
• The visit would be the first by a pope to Argentina in 40 years, and the first by Pope Leo XIV to South America Source: La Republica Co.
• Pope Leo XIV previously expressed his desire to visit Latin America, including Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, and Mexico Source: Infobae.