Pope Leo urges Buenos Aires youth to reject modern idols

Pope Leo XIV urged young people in Buenos Aires to reject what he called the “idols of our time,” including success at any cost, money, appearance, popularity and unrestrained pleasure, at a vigil attended by an estimated one million people on November 10.

Leo addressed the gathering at the Monumento de los Españoles, where a Mass the previous day had drawn an estimated 2.5 million people. The Vatican provided the one-million estimate for the vigil, according to an account of the event. The crowd figures are estimates, not independently counted totals.

The pope warned that seeking approval can lead people to lie, betray or humiliate others on social media. He also cautioned against pleasures he said could become enslaving, including pornography and addictive substances. In remarks reported from the vigil, Leo urged listeners not to bow to anything that could not give them life.

His message paired a call to change with an assurance that people who had made mistakes remained welcome in the Church. Echoing Pope Francis, Leo said that no one had fallen so low that Christ could not raise them up, while also saying that people needed conversion. He described faith as requiring...