Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday from Uruguay, the opening stop of his first tour of Latin America, as Argentines called on him to help bridge deep divisions after three years of austerity under President Javier Milei. The stop in Buenos Aires marks the first visit by a pontiff to the homeland of the late Pope Francis in nearly four decades.
The four-day stay takes Leo to the world's most Catholic continent at a time when secularism is advancing quickly, and many Argentines hope his presence can unite a country bitterly split between supporters and opponents of the libertarian president.
Milei, who famously insulted Francis over his pro-poor teachings, was on the tarmac to welcome the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics at the foot of his plane. Several hundred people chanting "Papa Leon" and waving yellow-and-white Vatican flags later gathered outside the presidential palace, where Milei hosted the pope, though the crowd was kept at a distance behind anti-riot police barriers.
Among those waiting for a glimpse of the passing pontiff was Liliana Deblauwe, a 68-year-old retired teacher. "Just like the World Cup unites us, hopefully the pope will too," she said. Maria Veronica Panza, a 52-year-old housewife standing nearby, was blunter, saying she wanted the pope to bring peace and unity and to "kick out Milei because he's a bad person."
Brian Inacio Rodriguez, a 26-year-old job seeker, spent five days travelling overland from Ushuaia, at the very tip of South America, to see the pope. "It was worth it to be near the holy father," he said, adding that he hoped the visit would bring "much peace to Argentina."
Just three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, Leo is pursuing an ambitious 12-day tour of a continent where he served nearly two decades as a missionary. In secular Uruguay he condemned drug violence and urged an end to child poverty, and he is expected to speak out in defense of the vulnerable over the course of his stay in Argentina.
The Argentine leg aims to revive a flagging faith in a country left disappointed by Francis's failure to visit during his papacy, and it also serves as a litmus test of support for the Church. Some 57.7 percent of people identified as Catholic in a recent University of Buenos Aires poll, down from around 90 percent in the 1960s.
Leo is expected to press for greater protection of society's most vulnerable in the wake of Milei's cuts, which have left millions on the breadline. His schedule includes a visit to a home for disabled people, a stop at a prison and three open-air masses, and the Church has said it expects a total of seven million faithful at the various events.
Milei came to office on a promise to revive Argentina's ailing economy and tame runaway inflation by shrinking the welfare state, targeting public hospitals, universities and pensioners in particular. The poverty rate has swung wildly since he took power, rising to 32.3 percent in September.
A close ally of US President Donald Trump with a similar attacking style, Milei had a tense relationship with Francis, calling his countryman an "imbecile" on the campaign trail for championing social justice. He softened his tone once in office but continues to heap insults on the press and the opposition. His relationship with Leo has so far been cordial, though the local Catholic Church has heavily criticised him for treating key social services solely as a budgetary constraint. Milei has also faced criticism for restricting several democratic freedoms, including the right to protest, yet he maintains a loyal supporter base for drastically reducing inflation.
