Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday for the most politically delicate stop of his 12-day South America tour. The visit sets up a closely watched encounter with President Javier Milei over austerity measures that have deepened poverty and the Argentine leader's support for the Iran war.
The 71-year-old pontiff is making his first international trip since lung cancer surgery on October 13. He flew from Uruguay to Buenos Aires where he was greeted by Milei at the airport. It is the first visit by a pope to Argentina since 1987. Pope Francis, an Argentine, never returned home during his 12-year pontificate.
Leo's speech to Milei and the political establishment will be parsed for any implicit criticism of the libertarian president's economic program. Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has slashed the healthcare budget by 48 percent in real terms and cut subsidies and public-sector jobs. Annual inflation has fallen from over 200 percent to 33 percent. Official data show poverty reached 32.3 percent of the population in the first half of 2026, affecting about 15 million Argentines, according to Arab News.
"Any interventions by Leo, particularly on poverty, the limits of markets or confrontational political rhetoric, could be read as implicit criticism of Milei," said Nicolas Watson, who leads advisory work at Teneo. "That could amplify existing opposition to the government's approach," he added, as reported by Al-Monitor and The Straits Times.
The Vatican has also clashed with Milei over foreign policy. The Argentine president has strongly backed the Iran war, while Leo has criticized the conflict to the irritation of Donald Trump, whom Milei considers a close ally. Over his 18-month papacy, Leo has warned about artificial intelligence risks, urged humane treatment of migrants and called for climate action. Those stances have brought him into conflict with Trump and other right-wing leaders.
Milei once called Pope Francis "an imbecile" but later sought to repair relations and visited him at the Vatican. Sociologist Veronica Gimenez Beliveau told Reuters that Milei "doesn't win anything by fighting with (Leo)" and could gain by showing an orderly administration.
The pope's itinerary through November 11 includes visits to a disability care center, the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, and a prison. Jorge Silanes, religious director of the care center, said the visit takes on extra weight because austerity has trimmed disability benefits while poverty stays widespread, according to Al-Monitor.
In Uruguay, Leo celebrated the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three in the city of Florida and urged South American countries to tackle regional issues together through patient diplomacy rather than conflict. He drew 30,000 worshippers to a Mass in Paysandú on Saturday, his first public event on the continent. The tour continues to Peru after Argentina.