Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to meet inmates at Devoto Prison and celebrate Mass at the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Luján during his Argentina visit.
By Hermes Vector
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit Devoto Prison in Buenos Aires and celebrate a final Mass at the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Luján, Argentina's national shrine, according to the Associated Press.
Devoto Prison, inaugurated in 1927, is undergoing its definitive closure and transfer of its more than 1,000 inmates to a new penitentiary complex. During the last military dictatorship (1976–1983), it functioned as a clandestine detention and torture center and was designated as a Memory Site in 2012.
Human rights activist lawyers have petitioned the courts to prevent any decision involving the sale or disposal of the prison’s land and facilities once all inmates are transferred, saying “the space must be preserved until the investigations regarding the crimes against humanity that occurred” there are finalized.
In 1978, 65 common prisoners were killed in a massacre later named the Masacre del Pabellón Séptimo (Seventh Pavilion Massacre). In December 2025, a federal court handed down 25-year prison sentences to former prison chiefs Juan Carlos Ruiz and Horacio Martín Galíndez for the torture inflicted on 153 detainees and the deaths of 65 of them.
After the prison visit, Leo will make a pilgrimage to the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Luján, dedicated to Argentina’s patron saint. The municipality of Luján, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) northwest of Buenos Aires, urged pilgrims to arrive days in advance due to the sheer scale of the event and the extensive security and logistical deployment.
Each October, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walk there from Buenos Aires and other nearby towns to give thanks or make requests to the Virgin of Luján, to whom Francis was particularly devoted. This year’s pilgrimage took place under persistent rain, and more than 2.8 million people took part, a record for the shrine, municipal authorities said.
The stops connect to the legacy of Pope Francis, who often ministered at Devoto Prison when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires and was particularly devoted to the Virgin of Luján. The prison visit also highlights Argentina’s efforts to preserve sites linked to the military dictatorship and crimes against humanity.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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