Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Argentina Amid Tensions with President Milei
The visit marks a completion of Pope Francis' unfinished legacy while the Argentine church confronts harsh austerity policies.
By Larissa Bell ·
Pope Leo XIV has arrived in Buenos Aires to begin the second phase of his South American tour, entering a political environment marked by deep economic division. He followed a final mass in Uruguay, where he addressed the role of women in preserving Catholic traditions.
In the city of Florida, located north of Montevideo, the Pope celebrated the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three. This event commemorates the independence of Uruguay from the Brazilian empire in 1825. The Vatican estimated that 50,000 people attended the service in a city with a population of roughly 40,000. Leo described himself as the first pope to visit Uruguay in nearly 40 years.
During his homily at Florida's cathedral, Leo focused on the work of mothers and grandmothers. He acknowledged the difficulty of passing down faith in a secular society but urged them to persist. He stated, 'Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!' The Pope also noted that the history of peoples cannot be fully understood without reference to God.
In Buenos Aires, President Javier Milei is scheduled to greet the Pope at the airport for a traditional welcome ceremony. This meeting is expected to be delicate because the Catholic Church has criticized Milei's austerity program. Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has cut the healthcare budget by 48% in real terms. He has also described social justice as an aberration and mocked complaints about families struggling to make ends meet.
Argentina's poverty rate reached 32.3% in the first half of 2026, affecting about 15 million people. The government argues that these cuts are necessary reforms to fix the economy and eliminate waste. Milei has also promoted artificial intelligence investment with limited regulation, a stance that contrasts with the Pope's calls for strict international safeguards on AI development.
Luis Bahamondes, a professor at the University of Chile, described Argentina as a society experiencing deep polarization and an economic crisis. He noted that the President defies conventional protocol. In Buenos Aires, posters appeared with the slogan 'At last, a Lion who unites,' playing on the Spanish word for Leo, which is also the animal symbol Milei uses in his branding.
This trip allows Leo to complete a mission left by his predecessor, Pope Francis, who never returned to Argentina during his 12-year papacy. David Lantigua, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, said there is significant disagreement over Francis' legacy in the country. Leo, who spent 20 years as a missionary in Peru, will finish his South American journey by returning to that country.
Argentina's state intelligence agency announced on Saturday that one person was arrested over death threats against the Pope. A federal court in Campana ordered the arrest less than 24 hours after receiving a tip. Karina Milei, the President's sister and secretary-general, told reporters that the visit is purely religious and that the Pope belongs to all Argentines.
