La música vernácula acompaña la visita papal y conecta a Pennisi y Pereyra con sus historias

Antes de que el Papahablar, el repertoire folklore and Argentine popular song will be part of the encounter. The programming is in the hands of Nahuel Pennisi and Luciano Pereyra, two singers who will perform in the capital and in Luján during the papal visit scheduled from November 8 to 11, under the motto “Bienvenidos todos. Vayan y anuncien”.

Pennisi en el Monumento a los Españoles

El lunes 9 de noviembre, a las 11.30, Pennisi actuar will be in the Monumento a los Españoles, in Palermo, at the meeting that the Pope will hold in Buenos Aires. The place has its own history: Juan Pablo II was there during his 1982 visit to Argentina. For Pennisi, singing in that setting is much more than taking part in a major event; he described it as a blessing and said that the occasion takes on a special spiritual and cultural meaning because of the tribute to Mercedes Sosa that he has been developing in his latest album.

“Cantar ante el Santo Padre en mi país es una bendición y un honor inmenso para mí por lo que representa en mi vida. Soy muy creyente y jamás imaginé poder compartir nuestra música en un escenario tan imponente, justo en este momento donde estoy abrazando el repertorio de nuestra querida Negra Sosa; le da un sentido espiritual y cultural muy profundo a esta presentación.”Nahuel Pennisi

That link between the Mass and the memory of Sosa is perhaps the most human center of the visit. Pennisi does not present himself only as a singer summoned for a papal audience; he appears as an interpreter who connects faith, belonging and a repertoire with deep roots in Argentine culture. The Monumento will thus function not only as a stage, but also as a symbolic bridge between the country’s religious history and its popular music.

Pereyra vuelve a Luján, donde nació

On Wednesday 11, the Pope will close his agenda in Argentina with an outdoor Mass in front of the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Luján. The basilica and its surroundings will be the setting for what organizers expect will bring together between one million and two million faithful people. Luciano Pereyra will sing during the celebration, returning in a special way to the city where he was born and lives.

“Me acaban de confirmar que en mi ciudad, en la ciudad de Luján, le voy a cantar al Papa. ¡En mi ciudad de Luján, en donde vivo, viene un Papa! Poder recibirlo, poder cantarle, poder cantarle todos juntos!”Luciano Pereyra

Pereyra made the announcement from the Movistar Arena, during his eighth presentation there, and did so visibly moved. Among the pieces he will perform is “Si no es tuyo”, the first advance of his next record, a new stage that combines folkloric roots with pop sonority. The song is therefore not only part of the repertoire for the Mass; it also represents an artistic transition that will be heard in one of the country’s most significant religious settings.

There is also a personal antecedent: in 2000, when he was 18 years old, Pereyra was chosen to represent Latin American youth and sang “Solo le pido a Dios” before Juan Pablo II during the World Youth Day in Rome. His return to Luján for León XIV’s visit comes after having already sung before a Pope, but this time the circumstances have a different emotional charge: he will do so in his hometown, in front of the basilica and with the crowd expected for the closing Mass.

• Lunes 9 de noviembre, 11.30: Nahuel Pennisi en el Monumento a los Españoles, en Palermo.
• Miércoles 11 de noviembre: misa al aire libre frente a la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Luján, con Luciano Pereyra.
• La organizer proyecta entre un millón y dos millones de fieles para el acto de Luján.
• La visita papal se extenderá del 8 al 11 de noviembre bajo el lema “Bienvenidos todos. Vayan y anuncien”.

The visit will be the first by a Pope to Argentina since Juan Pablo II’s trip in 1987. Beyond the institutional importance, the presence of Pennisi and Pereyra gives the itinerary a recognizable Argentine sound: the music of a country that expresses faith, memory and belonging in the same language. The performances also demonstrate the reach of popular music in public life, capable of accompanying a historic visit without ceasing to be, at the same time, intimate and familiar.

For those who attend, the schedule offers two different settings: on Monday, the Monumento a los Españoles, where the historic weight of Palermo is combined with Pennisi’s tribute to Mercedes Sosa; on Wednesday, the open-air space before the basilica in Luján, with Pereyra, the singer born in that city, sharing the repertoire with a crowd that could reach two million people. It is a visit that will be marked not only by the Pope’s presence, but also by the voices and songs of two Argentine artists.