Pope Leo XIV told inmates at an Argentine prison with a dark history tied to the military dictatorship that there is always hope for redemption and reconciliation.
Leo visited Devoto Prison before celebrating his final Mass at Argentina’s national shrine, the Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Lujan, where one million people were expected — the latest of the record-setting crowds that have welcomed Leo on the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly four decades.

Both sites have important sentimental connections to Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, who never returned home during his 12-year pontificate.
But Leo’s final stops in Argentina pale in comparison to the emotional highlight of his South American trip, when he returns to his adopted homeland of Peru later on Wednesday.
A massive national party is planned to greet the Chicago-born Leo, who spent more than two decades as a missionary priest and bishop in Peru and holds dual citizenship in the United States and Peru.

He is known to Peruvians as Padre Robert and beloved for ministering to poor communities, especially in times of crisis.