Pope Leo challenges Milei’s austerity during first papal visit to Argentina in decades

Pope Leo XIV has challenged President Javier Milei’s austerity agenda during the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly four decades, urging the country to ensure that economic growth benefits people struggling to meet their household needs. Speaking shortly after arriving in Buenos Aires from Uruguay, Leo said “the economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy”. He also called for particular concern for people affected by illness, dependency and disability.

The remarks were widely understood as a criticism of Milei’s cuts to social spending, including disability assistance. France 24 reported that the pope also urged greater willingness to listen and careful use of language, a reference to the president’s combative political style. Milei and his sister, presidential secretary Karina Milei, greeted the pope at the airport.

The president later hosted him at the Casa Rosada. Despite the cordial welcome, the visit comes after prolonged tension between the government and Argentina’s Catholic Church over reductions to welfare programmes and support for vulnerable groups. Milei argues that shrinking the state is necessary to control inflation and repair Argentina’s troubled finances.

France 24 reported that poverty had risen to 32.3% in September, while The Guardian said retirees receiving the minimum pension had lost about 30% of their purchasing power, citing the thinktank Mate. Disability funding is a particularly sensitive issue. The Guardian reported that a Catholic-run home Leo is due to visit houses about 400 residents and says government cuts have affected medicines, special food and nappies.

Argentina’s bishops have written to the health minister about the situation, and meetings between the government and church representatives have not resolved the dispute. The pope is scheduled to visit the disability home and a prison, meet business and union leaders, and celebrate open-air masses in Buenos Aires, Luján and Córdoba before travelling to Peru. The Church expects about seven million people to attend events during the wider tour, according to France 24.

The trip is also symbolically significant because Leo is visiting the homeland of Pope Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires but never returned to Argentina during his papacy. Francis died in 2025. Milei once described him as an “imbecile” and accused him of defending communism, although the president later softened his language and said he had apologised.

Leo’s visit began in Uruguay, where he spoke about child poverty, drug violence and gender-based violence. Euronews reported that he urged mothers and grandmothers to pass on the faith and told men to treat their wives with respect. The visit takes place as Catholic identification declines in Argentina.

Al Jazeera cited Pew research showing that the share of people identifying as Catholic fell from 71% in 2013-14 to 58% a decade later; France 24 cited a University of Buenos Aires poll putting the figure at 57.7%. Leo will remain in Argentina until Wednesday, with the programme combining religious events and meetings amid the country’s political and economic divisions.