BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AFP) — Buenos Aires officials said more than two million worshippers had turned out Monday for a vast public Mass by Pope Leo XIV, with pilgrims travelling from across Argentina and camping overnight to get a glimpse of the pontiff.

The gathering was the largest crowd of Leo’s papacy to date and came just three weeks after the 69-year-old underwent surgery for lung cancer, as he pressed ahead with a demanding 12-day tour of Latin America.

Crowds chanted “Ole, ole, ole, Leon, Leon”, waved yellow-and-white Vatican flags, and packed a kilometres-long stretch of Avenida del Libertador while giant screens relayed images of the pope’s journey through the city.

Some faithful travelled more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) to attend, while others kept vigil through the night along the capital’s broad avenues. Folk musicians performed as pilgrims sheltered from the spring sun under umbrellas.

The Vatican said some 2.5 million people were in attendance.

“What we need most is unity. We are so divided,” said 67-year-old retiree Soledad Troncoso, who attended with her sister and neighbours.

During the Mass, Leo described the Christian family as “a pillar” amid the uncertainties of modern life and urged parents to pass on the faith through simple acts such as prayer, forgiveness and mutual listening.

He also became emotional as he paid tribute to his Argentine predecessor, Francis, calling him “our beloved” pope.

Several of the pope’s public remarks since arriving in Argentina have contrasted with the spending cuts and free-market agenda pursued by libertarian President Javier Milei

Earlier Monday, the Chicago-born pope visited the Pequeno Cottolengo, a home for abandoned people with disabilities in the Buenos Aires suburb of Claypole, where he said a nation’s progress should be judged by the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens.

Addressing residents, staff and volunteers in Spanish, Leo said disabled people were “not a burden on society” but “a blessing.”

On Sunday, the pope said the economy should serve people rather than the reverse and called for special concern for those affected by “illness, dependency and disability.”

His comments touched on a sensitive issue in Argentina, where disability organizations and Church leaders have voiced concern over measures affecting assistance programs under Milei’s austerity drive.

Leo also praised communities that uphold the dignity and inclusion of people often pushed to society’s margins.

“Places like this have much to say to our societies, which are often driven solely by the pursuit of economic success or the cult of outward appearance,” he said.

Founded by an Italian saint, the 50-hectare (124-acre) Cottolengo complex is one of Argentina’s best-known Catholic charitable institutions.

The Vatican describes it as a “city of charity.”

The stop formed part of Leo’s first trip to Latin America as pope, a tour taking him to Uruguay, Argentina and then Peru, where he spent years as a missionary and bishop before his election.

Later Monday, Leo was due to meet trade union leaders and representatives of social movements at the Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires.

Across the capital, vendors sold T-shirts, caps and flags bearing Leo’s image, while his likeness appeared on alfajores pastries and jars of dulce de leche as Argentines marked the first papal visit to the country in decades.