Overview
- Cardinal Vicente Bokalic held a roughly 30‑minute private audience with León XIV on January 7 at the Vatican and formally invited him to visit Argentina.
- According to an archdiocesan communiqué, the Pope said a visit is being considered within his agenda.
- Bokalic asked that any trip start in Santiago del Estero, birthplace of the lay saint Mama Antula and seat recently reinstated as Argentina’s primatial church.
- The archbishop presented a poncho in Argentina’s colors, and the meeting addressed youth, structural poverty, addictions and declining vocations, with the Pope backing the local pastoral plan.
- There is no date, itinerary or state invitation yet, though church sources say Argentina features among destinations under review, pointing to recent Vatican outreach such as a letter to the UIA.