As part of his upcoming trip through Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, Pope Leo XIV will visit three historic Marian shrines: the Virgin of the Thirty-Three in Florida, Our Lady of Luján in Argentina, and Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo. While each location represents a distinct chapter in South American history and spirituality, all three share a common thread—they stand as sacred sites where the cultural identity and struggles of their respective nations intertwine deeply with devotion to the Virgin Mary.
The Holy Father’s first shrine visit will take place on November 8 in Florida, Uruguay, home to the National Shrine of the Virgin of the Thirty-Three. The small 18th-century wooden carving is closely bound to the nation’s struggle for independence; in 1825, after declaring emancipation, Uruguay’s 33 founding patriots prayed before the image to entrust the country’s future to Mary. Declared the patroness of Uruguay by Pope John XXIII in 1962 and previously visited by St. John Paul II in 1988, the shrine will host Pope Leo XIV as he celebrates Mass to honor both the nation’s spiritual roots and its historical legacy.
Moving on to Argentina, the Pope will celebrate Mass on November 11 in the plaza outside the neo-Gothic Basilica of Our Lady of Luján. The shrine’s origins date back to 1630, when an oxcart carrying a statuesque carving of the Immaculate Conception stubbornly stopped by the Luján River and refused to move until the image was unloaded—a moment interpreted as a divine sign that the Virgin wished to remain there. Guided by the decades-long care of “El Negro Manuel,” an African slave who helped foster early devotion, the location transformed into Argentina’s premier Marian pilgrimage destination, eventually receiving solemn coronation in 1887 as the nation’s patroness.
The final stop on November 13 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace in Chiclayo, Peru, holds a deeply personal meaning for Pope Leo XIV, who previously served as the city’s bishop. Having spent years praying with the local community, attending retreats, and entrusting his episcopal ministry to Our Lady in the shrine’s visitors’ book in 2015, the Pontiff’s visit marks an emotional homecoming. Here, rather than celebrating a public Mass, Pope Leo XIV will gather for a targeted meeting with Peruvian bishops, priests, religious, and pastoral workers in the very sanctuary that shaped his own pastoral journey.