Pope Leo After mass in Cordoba, the Pontiff received Alba Camargo, daughter and granddaughter of disappeared people, who asked for help in finding the remains of family members who disappeared during the last dictatorship. In the vigil with the young people of the capital, however, Leone invited them not to be fooled by the new idols of the world, from success at all costs to money, up to the obsession with physical appearance and popularity. An occasion in which he also returned to quote Pope Francis and his "Todos, todos, todos".
The meeting with Alba Camargo, daughter and granddaughter of the disappeared
After the mass in Cordoba, Pope Leo XIV received twenty people. Among them was Alba Camargo, daughter and granddaughter of desaparecidos, the people who disappeared during the last Argentine dictatorship. An unscheduled meeting compared to what was announced, but with great significance for the history of the country. Alba was thirteen years old when the dictatorship kidnapped her parents and uncles. A few days later, a death squad entered her grandparents' house and took her away too. He remained for six months in Buen Pastor, a prison run by nuns and intended for political prisoners. She turned fourteen while in the convent, where she was held despite not being formally in prison. The woman had arrived early, around six in the morning, to attend the celebration. When the mass was about to end, she was called together with nineteen other people behind the imposing altar, where the meeting with the Pontiff took place. As reported by the Argentine newspaper Page 12, Alba explained to Leone that he represents the group of family members who, since April last year, have been pursuing an appeal known as the clandestine burials case, currently under examination by the Hugo Vaca Narvaja federal court. The complaint dates back to 1998, when laws were still in force that prevented the prosecution of those responsible for crimes committed during the years of state terrorism.
The delivery of Sonia Torres' letter to the Pope
“We are looking for our missing loved ones, who are nearby,” she told Leo XIV, while the pontiff was shaking her hand tightly. Alba was impressed when the Pope nodded; he felt that he understood what he was saying. He then handed him a folder detailing the research undertaken by the whistleblower collective. The title was "A search to recover the life stories of the disappeared of Córdoba". Alba then took the opportunity to also give him the letter that Sonia Torres, president of the Córdoba section, had written to Francisco in March 2013, a few days after his election, in which she asked him for help in finding her nephew. Sonia died in 2023, but her family and colleagues continue the search. Alba turned fourteen while in the convent of the Good Shepherd. Although she was not in prison strictly speaking, she was held there by nuns. Nonetheless, he did not lose faith. This Tuesday, under the gaze of the Pope, he felt that he had finally obtained the Church's recognition for all the suffering he had suffered. She considered it right and necessary - concludes Page 12 - not only for herself, but also for all those children affected by the genocidal process.
The appeal to young people: "Do not kneel before idols"
At the vigil at the Los Españoles Monument in Buenos Aires, Pope Leo appealed to young people not to be deceived by the new idols of the contemporary world. "Even today, idols are raised that demand our adoration: success at any price, money, the obsession with physical appearance, with popularity or with the unbridled pursuit of pleasure", said the Pontiff. Leone then recalled the behaviors that can be achieved in order to obtain the approval of others: "Sometimes, to obtain the approval of others, we can lie, betray or humiliate someone on social networks". He also mentioned envy, which can prevent one from enjoying the good of others, and selfishness, which leads to treating people as objects. In his speech he also referred to those who "do business by offering pleasures that end up enslaving us, such as pornography and various substances". Hence the invitation addressed directly to young people: "You are called to stand before the idols of our time. Don't kneel before what cannot give you life! And if you have ever fallen, get up again! Don't allow anything or anyone to take away the freedom that God has given you".
The memory of Francis and his "Todos, todos, todos"
During the vigil with the young people of Buenos Aires, Leo XIV also returned to quote Pope Francis, taking up one of the most recognizable expressions of his pontificate: "Todos, todos, todos", or "everyone, everyone, everyone". The words were pronounced by Bergoglio during World Youth Day in Lisbon, in August 2023. Leone recalled their meaning and the insistence with which Francis had repeated them: "He pronounced them with that insistence that is so his, like someone who wants to make sure that no one is left without listening". The Pontiff then took up those words to explain what it means to live as disciples of Jesus: "All towards Christ, all with Christ, all like Christ".
Greeting the crowd in front of the Nunciature
In Buenos Aires the Pope is welcomed with enthusiasm by the crowd, who await him in the places he goes. Last night many people also gathered in front of the Nunciature, where Leo XIV is staying these days. In greeting those present, the Pontiff mimed the gesture of someone who wants to go to sleep: he joined his hands and placed them under his cheek, as if they were a pillow. An informal gesture that brought smiles and which, captured in a video, went viral on social media.
