00:00And for the Argentine Catholic community, the Virgin of Lujan is the patroness of the country.
00:05The Pope will travel there to celebrate mass.
00:08Lujan, a small city in the province of Buenos Aires, is expecting millions of visitors.
00:15The city of Lujan, in the province of Buenos Aires, has just over 100 residents.
00:21There stands the Basilica, built in honor of the Virgin of Lujan,
00:25who was proclaimed the patroness of Argentina in 1887.
00:29Today, this small provincial town is preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV.
00:34With great anticipation, major transformations of spaces and places, and something that will be completely new.
00:47Although the sanctuary has already welcomed St. John Paul Try on one occasion, in 1982, it was a different context
00:55and time.
00:55Now we understand that this could reach a magnitude we cannot even begin to imagine.
01:02The last pilgrimage, on October 4, brought together more than two million faiths.
01:09Now, the wait continues with new hopes.
01:15May it bring much peace and serenity to the family, the people, and the country, with so many ugly things
01:20going on, right?
01:21But anyway, I think that for me, it would be a kind of peace and serenity that could be brought
01:25to the world and its people.
01:26Here in Argentina, for example.
01:28And well, now I'm praying hard for his health.
01:31Y bueno, y ahora pedir mucho por la salud.
01:33The organizers are trying to avoid discussing the political aspect of this visit.
01:39They would prefer to talk about church doctrine.
01:45Every pope has his own approach.
01:47He is also a head of state, of course, but one would have to analyze, perhaps a little, his doctrinal
01:53position, based on his writings.
01:55He isn't the pastor, is he?
01:56And continuing along the same lines as Francis at the time, we are all the church.
02:05Catholics are excited by the anticipation, but their excitement is rooted in love and faith.
02:13It's really going to be a blessing for everyone.
02:15We need unity, unity for all of Argentina and indeed for the whole world.
02:22The shop owners around the basilica aren't very happy, but they understand.
02:32I don't know where the stage would be set up because that's all still up in the air.
02:35We don't know yet.
02:36Obviously, if the stage is set up here like it was when John Paul Lai-Away came, we obviously can't
02:41be there due to space constraints.
02:43There's also talk of a perimeter that hasn't been finalized yet, where businesses will be closed.
02:47Apparently, it's all just speculation, but we wouldn't be there.
02:51That's what people are talking about.
02:55Meanwhile, a Peruvian immigrant living in Argentina is delighted by the surprise.
03:04I think we're all happy to be waiting for the Pope's visit, aren't we?
03:07I didn't know he was from Peru.
03:08I'm Peruvian, and he's from the same place I'm from, Chicleo.
03:13I'm surprised.
03:14So, well, I hope that on the day he arrives, I'll be able to come and see him,
03:18because this place is going to be packed with people that day.
03:25That being the case, in Luján, everyone is waiting for the Pope with their own expectations,
03:31trying to tone down the political noise surrounding a visit that is undoubtedly both pastoral and political.
03:40I don't think we need to look for nuances, perhaps political ones, in each and every action,
03:46but rather to see where the church is headed, where it is going, or where it is headed today.
03:51Because, you see, the most fundamental thing is human dignity.
03:56From Buenos Aires, for Telesur, Fabian Restivo.
04:02Also, in this context, as part of the Pope's visit to Argentina,
04:07preparations are on their way in the province of Córdoba for his visit on November 10th.
04:12This visit to the South American country marks the return of a Pope to Argentine soil.
04:18After nearly four decades, since St. John Paul II's trip in 1987 in Córdoba,
04:25precisely Pope Leo XIV, will celebrate Mass and meet with bishops, priests,
04:30members of religious orders, seminarians, and pastoral workers.
04:34Upon his return to the capital, he will participate in the traditional visual
04:39with young people in front of the monument to the Spaniards.
