Argentina Declares 9 November a Holiday for the Pope, Plus Two Local Days
ARGENTINA · POPE LEO XIV VISIT
Key Facts
- —The country Argentina has about 46 million people and is Latin America’s third-largest economy. It is the homeland of the late Pope Francis, and 62.9 percent of Argentines called themselves Catholic in a 2019 national survey.
- —The background No pope has visited since John Paul II in 1987; Francis never went home as pope before his death in 2025. His successor, the Chicago-born Leo XIV, spent years as a missionary and bishop in Peru.
- —Why now The Vatican published the programme on 21 September, and ministers promised a holiday a day later. The decree, signed on 25 September, appeared in the official gazette on Monday 28 September.
- —What happened Decree 1103/2026 makes Monday 9 November a national holiday. Tuesday 10 November is a holiday only in Córdoba province and the city of Buenos Aires; Wednesday 11 November only in Buenos Aires province.
- —Who is who Leo XIV is in Argentina from 8 to 11 November, between stops in Uruguay and Peru. A new temporary unit in the cabinet chief’s office runs the government’s side of the visit.
- —What it means for you The whole country has a three-day weekend from 7 to 9 November; the capital and Córdoba have four. Avenida del Libertador, a main artery of Buenos Aires, will be closed on 9 and 10 November.
- —Still open The decree does not name who will run the new unit or put a figure on its budget. Crowd estimates and the full list of road closures are still to come.
Argentina has declared Monday 9 November a national holiday for the visit of Pope Leo XIV. The same decree gives two more days off, but only in the places the pope will visit.
When the Vatican published the programme on 21 September, no holiday had been decreed. Ministers promised one a day later, and the official gazette made it law on 28 September.
What the decree says
Decree 1103/2026 was published in the Boletín Oficial, the government’s official gazette, on Monday 28 September. President Javier Milei signed it on 25 September together with his whole cabinet.
It is an emergency decree, a presidential order that takes effect at once with the force of law. Article 2 makes 9 November a national holiday “in all the territory” of Argentina.
Article 3 makes Tuesday 10 November a holiday “exclusively” in Córdoba province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Article 4 does the same for Wednesday 11 November in Buenos Aires province alone.
The decree also declares the visit a matter of national interest. It cites security, logistics and traffic control, saying ordinary working-day travel could hamper those operations.
Why the capital and its suburbs get different days
The city of Buenos Aires and the province of Buenos Aires are separate jurisdictions, each with its own government. The province surrounds the city and holds its sprawling suburbs.
The split follows the pope’s route. On Tuesday he says mass in Córdoba, Argentina’s second city, and returns for an evening youth vigil in the capital.
On Wednesday he visits a federal prison complex and says mass at Luján, a pilgrimage town in the province.
The decree says the three governments asked for these local holidays themselves. So the province works on Tuesday and the city works on Wednesday.
Commuters who cross the boundary between the two should check both dates with their employers.
What a holiday means in practice
The decree uses the word feriado, a full public holiday, not a “non-working day”, which employers may choose to ignore. Under Argentina’s employment law, staff who work on a feriado must be paid double.
The decree says the holiday also covers national agencies working inside the areas concerned. Public offices there will close, while places outside those areas keep a normal Tuesday and Wednesday.
Buenos Aires’ city government has said Avenida del Libertador will be closed on 9 and 10 November. A sealed zone will run from the mass site to Avenida Udaondo, according to La Nación.
The visit, day by day
Leo XIV lands at Aeroparque, the city airport, at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday 8 November, coming from Uruguay. He meets Milei and addresses officials and diplomats that evening.
On the Monday holiday he visits a home run by the Don Orione order in Claypole, south of the capital. At 11:30 a.m. he says mass at the Monumento de los Españoles, a landmark in the Palermo district.
Tuesday brings a mass at the Military Aviation School in Córdoba and the youth vigil back in the capital. On Wednesday he leaves from Ezeiza, the international airport, at 2 p.m. for Lima.
The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, has called for 20,000 volunteers and said about 14,000 had signed up. A Vatican advance team inspected the venues at the end of August.
A unit with wide spending powers
The decree creates a temporary unit inside the office of the cabinet chief, the minister who coordinates the government. It is headed by an unpaid official with the rank of secretary, backed by five unpaid coordinators.
The unit may last up to 12 months. Its head can run and approve contracts linked to the visit “whatever the amount”, although the normal procurement rules still apply.
According to Infobae, each province and the city will pay for the events on their own ground. The unit’s own costs come out of the cabinet chief’s budget.
What comes next
A joint committee of Congress must review the emergency decree under Law 26.122. Congress has the power to overturn it, but the holidays apply unless it does.
November already had one long weekend, because the 20 November national holiday moves to Monday 23 November this year. The month now has two.
The decree is not a permanent change to the calendar; it covers 2026 only. It does not itself close airports or restrict flights, and it adds no holiday outside the areas it names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 9 November 2026 a holiday everywhere in Argentina?
Yes. Decree 1103/2026 makes Monday 9 November a national holiday across the whole country for the visit of Pope Leo XIV.
Who gets 10 and 11 November off?
Tuesday 10 November is a holiday only in Córdoba province and the city of Buenos Aires. Wednesday 11 November is a holiday only in Buenos Aires province, which surrounds the city.
Are shops and offices closed?
Public offices in the areas covered close. Private employers may open, but staff who work on a full public holiday must be paid double under Argentina’s employment law.
When was the last papal visit to Argentina?
John Paul II visited in 1987. Pope Francis, who was Argentine, never returned to his homeland as pope.
Sources: Boletín Oficial, Decree 1103/2026 (DNU), 28 September 2026, Holy See Press Office, programme of the apostolic journey, 21 September 2026, La Nación, 28 September 2026, Infobae, 28 September 2026, MDZ, 28 September 2026, La Nación, Monteoliva announcement, 22–23 September 2026, Infobae, 2026 holiday calendar, 26 December 2025, Chequeado on the CONICET 2019 survey of religious beliefs. All retrieved 28 September 2026.
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