World · Latin America · 2 hrs ago
Pope Leo XIV to visit Devoto Prison and Argentina’s national shrine
Pope Leo XIV is due to visit Devoto Prison in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, as he concludes his visit to Argentina.
The prison has a history tied to the country’s 1976–1983 military dictatorship, when it served as a clandestine detention and torture center.
It is now being closed, with more than 1,000 inmates to be transferred to a new prison complex.
Lawyers have asked courts to prevent the site from being sold or disposed of until investigations into crimes there are complete.
Leo’s meeting with inmates continues a practice of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who often visited the prison when he led the Buenos Aires archdiocese.
Leo is also due to celebrate Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, Argentina’s national shrine, before returning to Peru, where a large welcome is planned.
The shrine drew a record more than 2.8 million pilgrims for its annual pilgrimage this year, despite persistent rain.
Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to end his three-day visit to Argentina on Wednesday with a visit to Devoto Prison and a Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján.
The prison has links to Argentina’s military dictatorship and was a place where Pope Francis ministered to inmates.
The basilica is Argentina’s national shrine and is dedicated to the country’s patron saint.
Leo is then due to travel to Peru, where a large welcome is planned.
- Who
- Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the prison and lead the Mass.
- What
- He will meet inmates at Devoto Prison and celebrate a Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján.
- When
- Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
- Where
- Buenos Aires and Luján, Argentina.
- Why
- The sources describe the stops as the conclusion of Leo’s visit to Argentina; they do not state a specific reason for the prison visit.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Devoto Prison functioned as a clandestine detention and torture center during Argentina’s military dictatorship.
Devoto Prison was designated as a Memory Site.
More than 2.8 million people took part in the pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, according to municipal authorities.
Leo is scheduled to visit Devoto Prison, celebrate Mass at the basilica and then travel to Peru.
- Prison
- Devoto Prison, inaugurated in 1927
- Prison transfer
- More than 1,000 inmates are to be transferred to a new penitentiary complex
- Shrine
- Basilica of Our Lady of Luján, about 72 kilometers northwest of Buenos Aires
- Pilgrimage
- More than 2.8 million participants in October 2026, a record for the shrine
- Mass
- Outdoor Mass expected to draw millions, according to France 24
3 sources
What people are saying
the space must be preserved until the investigations regarding the crimes against humanity that occurred