Video. Thousands of Pilgrims Make Overnight Journey to Luján Ahead of Pope Leo’s Visit
The 52nd Youth Pilgrimage drew an expected 2 million people, with faithful walking 60 kilometres and praying before the Virgin of Luján.
- On Sunday, thousands of Argentines completed the 52nd Youth Pilgrimage to Luján, arriving at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján after a 60-kilometre trek from Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires Province government expected two million participants in one of Argentina's largest Catholic gatherings.
- The devotion dates back to 1630, when tradition says oxen carrying an image of the Virgin refused to move near the Luján River. An enslaved African man named Manuel then devoted his life to guarding the figure, establishing the pilgrimage site.
- After nearly 20 hours of travel, Alexis Vaquer, a 42-year-old IT worker, reached the shrine with tears in his eyes, telling reporters the experience is "impossible to convey." The pilgrimage reflects a nation where 62.9 percent of the population identifies as Catholic.
- Marking the first papal pilgrimage since John Paul II prayed there in 1982 during the Malvinas War, Pope Leo XIV is scheduled to visit the shrine on November 11. Many attendees brought pictures of the pontiff to express their anticipation.
- For Vaquer, the pontiff's trip "in a way remedies" the fact that Pope Francis never visited, while teacher Anabela García called the Virgin "a presence that is always there." The visit carries deep emotional significance for pilgrims across Argentina.
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In the early morning hours of Sunday, the towers of the neo-Gothic basilica were cut between the mist, while the faithful arrived by thousands, on a walk that became one of the largest popular manifestations of Catholicism in Argentina. In the surroundings of the place, pilgrims slept on the sidewalks or healed their swollen and blistered feet, as they watched the tide of newly arrived faithful passing by with the flags of the Virgin and banners…
Buenos Aires, 3 Oct (EFE).- Thousands of Argentines have been on pilgrimage since the early hours of this Saturday and in a persistent rain towards Luján, the city of the province of Buenos Aires that will visit Pope Leon XIV during his tour during November in the South American country. The traditional pilgrimage celebrates this year its edition number 52, [...] La entrada Thousands of Argentines are on pilgrimage to Luján, a city that will vis…
After leaving last year, the driver resumed the tradition of walking towards the Basilica
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