One month before Pope Leo XIV's visit, the government is preparing a mega security operation and the Church is attracting private donors

With one month to go before Pope Leo XIV lands in Argentina, the government and the Church are finalizing the organizational details of a historic event, a task that demands almost surgical precision. While the Casa Rosada and the provinces move forward with coordinating the mega security operation that will be deployed between November 8 and 11, the authorities of the Episcopal Conference are accelerating efforts to secure the funds needed to cover the costs of the pontiff's apostolic and pastoral journey. The Holy See will send the final advance mission in the coming weeks before the Pope's tour of South America begins. Members of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Gendarmerie are likely to travel. Karina Milei and Alejandra Monteoliva, together with the apostolic nuncioPresidencyThe great concern of the Milei administration is to guarantee security and display a high level of organization. In the government, they insist that they expect a turnout of seven million people for the three major mass gatherings that Leo XIV will preside over in Argentina. At the Ministry of Security, headed by Alejandra Monteoliva, they are working with the Vatican to design a mega operation to shield the Pope. Monteoliva, in turn, coordinates with officials from the City, Córdoba and Buenos Aires. Unlike the plan deployed for the G-20 in 2018, the Milei administration will face the challenge of managing the crowds that will travel to attend the Pontiff's masses at the foot of the Monumento de los Españoles, at the site of the Argentine Aircraft Factory (Fadea) in Córdoba, and at the Basilica of Luján. For that reason, all federal forces —the Federal Police, the Gendarmerie, the Naval Prefecture, the Airport Security Police (PSA) and the Federal Penitentiary Service— as well as the SIDE intelligence agency, will be involved in an unprecedented logistics operation that has been in the works for months. A strict protocolBoth in open and closed spaces —the gatherings at the UCA and at the Palacio Libertad, or the visit to the Cottolengo Don Orione— the security protocol will be very strict. "All the specifications are laid out by the Holy See," they say in the Executive Branch. The liaison with Rome for this task was Monteoliva, who maintained frequent contact with Gianluca Gauzzi Broccoletti, director of the Directorate of Security Services and Civil Protection of the Vatican City State and commander of the Gendarmerie Corps. In Córdoba, for example, some 13,000 officers will be deployed to guard the mass that Leo XIV will celebrate on Tuesday, November 10. The Air Force and the Army will provide support, according to official sources. There, the head of the Church will take a ride in the popemobile. A large turnout is expected. They calculate that the crowd will be equivalent to 15 stadiums the size of the Mario Alberto Kempes, which holds more than 50,000 spectators. The government anticipates that the Pope's visit will boost local tourism and attract visitors from abroad. For instance, they already know there will be religious tours bringing tourists from Bolivia, Paraguay and other neighboring countries between November 8 and 11, when Leo XIV will be in Argentina. Leo XIV will celebrate a mass in front of the Basilica of LujánNicolás SuárezDuring the Holy Father's stay, a layered protection scheme will be used. In the first ring will be his trusted bodyguards: the Swiss Guard and the Vatican gendarmerie. They will also be in charge of driving the armored vehicles in which Leo XIV and his entourage will travel. Close to that first layer will be the Federal Police's international affairs officers, who will act as reinforcement. In the second ring will be the federal forces, such as the Naval Prefecture, the Gendarmerie and the PFA. And in the circle farthest from the Pope and closest to the public will be the local police officers: the Buenos Aires provincial police, the city police or the Córdoba police. The Pontiff's schedule will cause street closures, detours and disruptions to public transportation. What worries the government most is the possibility of unrest at the mass events. For that reason, public entry will open well in advance, between ten and twelve hours before the start of the religious ceremony at the Monumento de los Españoles or at the square in front of the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján. "Lungs" —areas without public— and evacuation lanes will be set up. It is estimated that some 60 kilometers of crowd-control barriers will be needed. For that reason, the national government requested assistance from provincial administrations, such as Santa Fe and Entre Ríos, which will contribute barriers for the mass gatherings. They have also already contacted the main companies dedicated to portable toilet rentals. The Vatican has ruled that prior registration will be required to attend the masses. In the Executive Branch, meanwhile, they asked the Church that volunteers —some 25,000 have signed up so far— present a criminal record certificate. The cost of the procedure was covered by the national administration. In parallel, the country's airspace is expected to close at the moments when the Pope boards a flight —his arrival from Montevideo, the trips between Buenos Aires and Córdoba, and the departure to Peru. The National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) will regulate the use of drones. The Monumento de los Españoles, where the Pope will celebrate a mass and hold a meeting with young peoplericardo-pristupluk-11511 - LA NACIONIn the Executive Branch they are on alert for the possible complications that the El Niño weather phenomenon could cause for the pontiff's itinerary. "We'll have to pray," they joke in official offices. A financial engineering featIn the Church, they estimate that the Pope's visit to Argentina —the first by a pontiff to the country since 1987— will require some 30 million dollars. The Vatican only covers the expenses of the flight that will bring Leo XIV from Rome to Uruguay, where he will begin his pilgrimage through South America. The rest of the expenses —from transportation, the papal entourage's lodging and security, to the staging of platforms and the placement of barriers and portable toilets for the mass gatherings— will be borne by the Episcopate, the national government and the three jurisdictions involved in the preparations: the Capital, Buenos Aires and Córdoba. The Church will assume one third of the total cost of the trip. So far, it has managed to raise 650 million pesos from its faithful. It is a meager figure, since it is estimated that about ten million will be needed per day to cover the papal expenses. For that reason, the prelates sharpening their pencils have begun approaching major businessmen, such as Marcos Bulgheroni or Eduardo Eurnekian, who might be willing to contribute fresh money for the arrival of Leo XIV. "It's artisanal work," the bishops confide. In the Church, they seek to act discreetly. Many businessmen want to contribute resources, but demand confidentiality. The Pope will likely repay the gesture. Even though he will have a very tight schedule, Leo XIV could receive the major contributors at the Nunciature to greet them and thank them. For now, the prelates have already secured the backing of several companies. The new sponsors are mentioned on the official website of Leo XIV's visit: they include the Techint Group, Banco Santander, the utilities Edenor and Edemsa, Mercedes Benz, the Dolmen Buenos Aires Hotel, Hoopla, the Catholic University of La Plata and Establecimiento Metalúrgico GCD. These are the ones that agreed to include their logo on the website and will act as sponsors of the papal trip. For instance, they could have advertising on the volunteers' vests. The companies sponsoring Leo XIV's arrivalAmong the companies that will also collaborate are YPF and Aerolíneas Argentinas, which will provide aircraft from its fleet to bring the Pope from Montevideo. The state airline will also fly him to Córdoba from Buenos Aires —covering the round trip— and, finally, to Peru, for the last leg of the tour. It is one of the most costly items of the visit. Toyota, for its part, took care of preparing the popemobile. There will be two units, since Leo will use one of the vehicles to greet the faithful in the Capital and in the province of Buenos Aires —he is expected to travel 700 meters in Claypole, in the heart of the conurbano, before arriving at the Cottolengo Don Orione. In recent months, the Episcopate also closed a deal with the advertising agency Mercado McCann, which ultimately chose to offer its services free of charge. It will only charge the Church for work it has to outsource. The agency will be in charge of producing the radio and television spots that will air in the days before Leo XIV's arrival, according to church sources. The national state will also cooperate with the equipment needed to televise the visit. While the camera director will be appointed by the Vatican, the government will bring in the audiovisual production company in charge of the Presidency's official broadcasts: MediaHub, owned by businessman Alejandro Spinello. In addition, the Milei administration will cover the lodging of part of the entourage traveling with the Pope from Rome. They would stay a few meters from the Nunciature. In turn, the national government will share with Jorge Macri's city administration the costs of renting the stage —which will be about 70 meters long—, lighting and sound, and the portable toilets for one of the mass events the Pope will lead: the mass at the Monumento de los Españoles. More than 2,000 priests will take part in that celebration, and an estimated 500,000 hosts will be distributed.