Officials estimate 2.5 million attend Pope Leo's Buenos Aires Mass

About 2.5 million people attended Pope Leo's open-air Mass in Buenos Aires, according to officials, making it the largest gathering of his 18-month papacy and his 12-day South American journey. Crowds stretched along Avenida del Libertador during the first papal visit to Argentina since 1987.

UPDATE: The completed event surpassed the earlier forecast of more than 1.5 million attendees. Leo praised the enthusiasm of the faithful in a region where the Catholic Church has faced growing competition from evangelical denominations. His previous largest gathering drew 1.2 million people in Madrid in June.

Argentine President Javier Milei attended the Mass. Leo had told him during their meeting on Sunday that leaders should recognise the limits of their power. In his sermon, the pope spoke about families facing instability, social hardship, insecure employment, domestic violence, painful separations and addiction that harms young people's futures.

Before the Mass, Leo visited a centre caring for people with disabilities. He said a country's progress should also be judged by how it welcomes people with disabilities.

The Argentina visit is part of a three-country tour that also includes Uruguay and Peru. Leo, who spent decades as a missionary in Peru, is due to leave South America on 17 November.