Pope Leo XIV visits Argentina, urges economy serve people amid Milei austerity

Argentinian President Javier Milei welcomed Pope Leo XIV at Buenos Aires's Jorge Newbery airport on Sunday, marking the first papal visit to the country in nearly four decades. Milei and his sister, presidential secretary Karina Milei, greeted the 71-year-old pontiff as he began the second leg of a 12-day, three-nation Latin American tour that started in Uruguay.

Historic visit amid tensions The visit comes amid growing friction between Milei's libertarian government and the Catholic Church over deep austerity measures. Pope Leo used his first public address in Argentina to offer a pointed counter to the president's free-market agenda. "The economy must serve the person, not the person the economy," he told leaders gathered in the capital. While encouraging private initiative, the pope urged policies that benefit the unemployed, retirees and workers who struggle to meet household needs.

Pope challenges austerity Leo also called for greater state investment in education and vocational training, saying a nation must ask where it has failed when young people must leave to pursue their dreams. He described democracy as part of Argentina's heritage that must be safeguarded and stressed that authority is most authentic when exercised as service, with prudence and respect for the limits of power.

Milei's economic record Since taking office in 2023, Milei has slashed public spending, rolled back subsidies, loosened regulations and pursued privatisation of state-owned firms. The government has achieved a budget surplus and reduced inflation, but real wages remain below their level when he assumed office and about 300,000 formal jobs have been lost. Public universities have also been hit by spending cuts.

Church's declining influence The visit occurs as Catholic identification in Argentina has fallen from 71 percent in 2013-14 to 58 percent a decade later, according to Pew Research. Milei, raised Catholic, has said he considered converting to Judaism and previously denounced Pope Francis — the first Latin American pope — as a "communist" and an "imbecile who defends social justice." Francis, who died in 2025, never visited Argentina as pontiff. Observers see Leo's trip as rectifying that absence. Reverend Lorenzo "Toto" de Vedia, who works with poor communities in Buenos Aires, said, "Leo is going to make the visit that Francis never did." Milei struck a warmer tone on Sunday, calling the U.S.-born pope an "exceptional figure." The pontiff is scheduled to visit a prison, celebrate masses in Buenos Aires, Luján and Córdoba province, and depart for Peru on Wednesday.

Source: Al Jazeera.