By Joshua McElwee and Leila Miller BUENOS AIRES, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Vast crowds thronged one of the main boulevards in Buenos Aires on Monday as Pope Leo hailed the strength of the Catholic Church in South America at an outdoor Mass that drew a record 2.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in the Argentina, the homeland of his predecessor, Francis, who never came back home. In his address to President Milei and Argentinian authorities, the pope spoke of democracy as a legacy to be safeguarded,

Argentina gave the Catholic Church its first Latin American pope but never welcomed him home during his 12-year pontificate. Now Pope Leo XIV has come to a country where Pope Francis’s memory remains a source of both pride and political controversy, retracing his predecessor’s footsteps while advancing his vision of a Church close to the poor.

BUENOS AIRES - Pope Leo XIV lead a vast mass in Argentina on Nov 9 with two and a half million pilgrims, and urged protection of society’s most vulnerable as he met disabled people and clerical abuse victims. Pope Leo XIV drew a crowd of 2.5 million in Buenos Aires, his biggest mass so far, and paid tribute to “our beloved” Pope Francis.

Millions of protesters flocked to Buenos Aires for the 35th Pride Parade, amid complaints of homophobia, calls for protection for transgender people, and tensions ahead of the papal visit.

Pope Leo XIV led a mass with two and a half million people in Argentina on Monday, and later urged protection of society's most vulnerable as he met disabled people and clerical abuse victims.

Pope Leo XIV delivered a diplomatic but subtly strong critique of Argentine President Javier Milei’s austerity measures and libertarian agenda as he arrived Sunday in

Pope Leo’s advocacy for the marginalized in Buenos Aires echoes themes he has emphasized since his election, but in the city so closely associated with the late Pope Francis his words have a particular resonance.