Pope urges young people to resist social media pressure

Pope Leo XIV has vowed not to let illness or old age affect his zeal, urging Argentines to "go ahead and be saints!" and warning young people not to dwell on appearance, money or popularity. Less than a month after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, the Catholic leader embarked on a massive 12-day tour of Latin America.

“Neither age nor physical limitations can extinguish our zeal,” he said. Our strength may run out, but God’s power never does

The U.S.-born pope refused to move a trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru despite having his lower right lung removed to remove a cancerous tumor. With seemingly boundless energy, he returned to Buenos Aires to take part in a youth candlelight procession that drew 1.3 million people and included shows featuring tango dancers and Argentine singers.

Leo XIV warned against being obsessed with appearance or lying on social media in order to gain popularity or the approval of others: "Idols arise and demand our worship: success at all costs, money, obsession with appearance, popularity or the unrestrained pursuit of pleasure.".

According to the pope, they must "stand firmly on their feet" in the face of pleasures "that ultimately enslave us, such as pornography" and drugs, he said. A trip to South America is seen as a kind of double homecoming.

He traveled to Peru, where he spent nearly two decades as a missionary, and Argentina, where his predecessor Francis was born. The pontiff repeatedly recalled the late Francis, who disappointed many that he never returned to his homeland as Pope.

In a speech to the clergy in Cordoba, Leo XIV said Argentine priests could honor their compatriot by continuing to make noise and creating dynamic religious communities as the number of Catholics in Argentina dwindles. About 56 percent of Argentine adults consider themselves Catholic, according to the research center, up from 71 percent just over a decade ago. At a mass earlier in the city, which gathered 650,000 pilgrims, the Pope urged citizens to follow the example of Argentine saints, and giant screens broadcast footage of the arrival of the Pope in Córdoba, which caused cheers from the crowd when his plane landed - this event was a testament to the fact that Leo is popular in Argentina not only with ordinary church members.

During his three days in Argentina, the pontiff repeatedly called on the country’s leader, Javier Miley, to make the economy more inclusive and to stop cutting funding that affects the poor, elderly and disabled. Leo XIV concluded that there was “a unity between a passion for the Gospel and a desire to build a fraternal and caring nation.” The pope plans to visit a prison in Buenos Aires and celebrate a farewell mass before heading to Peru for the final leg of his journey through South America.