Pope Leo XIV Rebukes Milei’s Austerity in First Papal Visit to Argentina Since 1987

Pope Leo XIV delivered a pointed public challenge to President Javier Milei on Sunday, telling cheering crowds in Buenos Aires that an economy should work for ordinary people rather than demanding that people serve the economy.

The speech came within hours of the pontiff’s arrival in Argentina on the second leg of his 12-day tour of South America — the sharpest intervention yet by the new pope in a country bitterly divided over three years of deep spending cuts. It is the first visit by a pontiff to Argentina in nearly four decades — the last was by Pope John Paul II in 1987 — and the late Pope Francis, an Argentine, never visited his homeland during his papacy.

“The economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy,” Leo said, shortly after landing in the capital from Uruguay, where he began the first trip to Latin America of his pontificate.

“The economy must serve the people”

Leo, 71, pressed the point by speaking up for those who, in his words, “despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs.” He insisted that “particular concern be shown for those affected by illness, dependency and disability” — a passage widely understood as a pointed reference to the government’s controversial cuts to disability assistance.

He also turned to the health of Argentina’s democracy, saying that strengthening it required a “willingness to listen” and the “careful use of words,” and that public office demanded “personal integrity” because “corruption undermines the confidence of citizens in their institutions.”

Milei, for his part, said his government was working to avoid “punishing the Argentines of tomorrow in order to benefit the Argentines of today.” The exchange was cordial, but the substance of the pope’s message was unmistakable.

A warm welcome in a divided country

Hundreds chanting “Papa León” gathered outside the presidential palace, where Milei hosted the pontiff, and crowds waited at a monument to liberation hero José de San Martín. “Just like the World Cup unites us, hopefully the pope will too,” said Liliana Deblauwe, a 68-year-old retired teacher.

Brian Inacio Rodríguez, a 26-year-old job seeker, spent five days travelling overland from Ushuaia to see the pontiff, saying he hoped the pope brought “much peace to Argentina.”

The Church has said it expects a total of seven million faithful at the various events of the visit, and Leo will visit a home for disabled people and a prison and celebrate three open-air Masses.

A visit nearly 40 years in the making

The Argentine stage carries particular weight because of what did not happen under Francis. The late pope’s failure to visit during his papacy left many Argentines disappointed, and Leo said he was “retracing” Francis’s steps. Milei famously insulted Francis for his pro-poor teachings, calling him an “imbecile” on the campaign trail before softening his tone once in office.

The visit is also a test of the Church’s standing in a country where faith is flagging: a recent University of Buenos Aires poll found that 57.7 percent of Argentines identify as Catholic, down from around 90 percent in the 1960s. The Guardian reported that the visit aims to boost that flagging faith and will act as a litmus test of support for the Church.

The journey is striking given the pope’s recent health: just three weeks ago, surgeons removed the cancerous lower lobe of his right lung, and his doctor later cleared him to fly.

Milei’s austerity, and the Church’s criticism

Milei came to office in December 2023 promising to revive Argentina’s ailing economy and tame runaway inflation by shrinking the welfare state, targeting public hospitals, universities and pensioners in particular. The poverty rate has swung sharply since he came to power, rising to 32.3 percent in September, AFP reported.

Milei, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, retains a loyal supporter base for drastically reducing inflation. But the local Catholic Church has heavily criticised him for treating key social services solely as a budgetary constraint, and he has also been criticised for restricting several democratic freedoms, including the right to protest.

His relationship with Leo has so far been cordial, but Sunday’s speech made clear the new pontiff will not stay silent on the social costs of the government’s programme.

What comes next on the tour

Argentina is the second stop on a 12-day tour of South America that began in Uruguay, where Leo condemned drug violence and urged an end to child poverty. After Masses in Buenos Aires, Luján and Córdoba province, the pope leaves for Peru on Wednesday for the final leg of the trip, built around the more than two decades he spent there as a missionary and bishop.

He is due back in Rome on the morning of 17 November. For Argentina, though, the moment that will linger is the one in Buenos Aires on Sunday: a pope, three weeks out of surgery, telling a president — and a divided country — that growth must benefit everyone.