Pope Leo XIV arrives in Argentina and urges leaders to put people before the economy

Arrival in Buenos Aires

Pope Leo XIV landed at Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires at 4:33 pm local time on Sunday, 8 November, after flying in from Uruguay. President Javier Milei received him at the foot of the aircraft steps with a long handshake, and the two stood through the Argentine anthem played by a military band and an honour guard. The visit is the first by a pope to Argentina in nearly 40 years, since John Paul II came in 1987. Pope Francis, the Argentine pontiff, never returned home during his 12 years in office, a gap the current pontiff is now filling. Milei's welcome message framed the visit in spiritual terms.

The visit of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, lifts all of us Argentines spiritually.

Posters against the president were on display in Buenos Aires as the pontiff arrived.

A speech on the economy and democracy

In the evening, after a private meeting with Milei, the Pope addressed Argentina's authorities. He said the economy must serve the person and not the reverse, and he named families carrying the weight of uncertainty, people looking for work, elderly people who had contributed to society for years, and workers who still struggle to provide for their households. He described democracy as part of the national inheritance that must be safeguarded, and said living together requires learning to coexist despite differing views. Electing leaders by vote, taking part in public life, expressing convictions freely and trusting the law were goods each generation must protect. Deutsche Welle noted that he did not address the government's policies directly.

AP framed the speech as a diplomatic but firm rebuke of Milei's austerity and libertarian agenda, even though the government had played down the chance of a clash. Before the visit, Minister of Human Capital Sandra Pettovello said the Pope would not come to comment on local politics. Milei has cut public spending to bring down inflation and has called social justice "a moral aberration" and "theft", a view that sits apart from the Pope's message.

Milei's shifting tone toward Francis

Milei once called Pope Francis an "imbecile", though he later softened his tone and met him in Rome. On Sunday he praised Francis as an "exceptional figure" and the "most important Argentine in history". Church criticism of the government has targeted cuts to social services, pensions, disability assistance and public universities. Annual inflation has fallen from more than 200% to about 33% under Milei's administration, yet households still face financial pressure, and there has been anger over public-sector layoffs and business closures. Some of Francis's former collaborators called his absence from Argentina an enigma, and the most common explanation was a fear of inflaming the country's political and church divisions.

Disability, grief and the road ahead

At Claypole, near Buenos Aires, the Pope visited the Piccolo Cottolengo, a facility run by the Orionini, and said a nation's progress is also measured by the welcome it gives people with disabilities and special needs. He told residents their lives were not a burden on society but a blessing. From Uruguay he had sent a message of deep sorrow to Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, archbishop of Kraków, after six people were killed in a shooting in that Polish city on 7 November. A Mass in Florida, Uruguay, drew 50,000 people. The 71-year-old pontiff had surgery for lung cancer less than a month before this trip, and he is scheduled to visit several Argentine cities before continuing to Peru on Wednesday, 11 November.