Pope Leo XIV urges social justice in Buenos Aires as Milei listens
On his first visit to Argentina in almost 40 years, Pope Leo XIV calls for an economy that serves people, placing pensioners, persons with disabilities, education and research at the centre.
Pope Leo XIV has called for an economy that serves people and not the other way around during his visit to Argentina. He delivered the speech on Sunday in Buenos Aires, the start of his trip, the first papal visit to the country in almost 40 years. Seated beside him was President Javier Milei, whose government, in office since December 2023, has made headlines with a drastic austerity course.
The Pope demanded social justice as well as support for education and research. He was particularly clear in calling for the protection of pensioners and persons with disabilities, the groups that many observers believe were hit hardest by the cuts. At the same time, he called for the protection of the country and its land. This concern is linked to a planned reform of the Glacier Law, which would permit mining near glaciers.
The speech took place in the former Centro Cultural Kirchner, which Milei has renamed Palacio Libertad. The venue is politically charged because it recalls the era of the Kirchners, whom Milei sharply criticises. Against this backdrop, the choice of venue was followed closely.
When taking office, Milei promised fiscal balance and lower inflation. However, the chainsaw he has wielded, as he calls his cuts, has hit social programmes, pensions, public health care and education. A report by the economic research institute CEPA cites 32,390 closed businesses and 465,811 lost jobs since he took office. According to the report, household payment arrears rose to 12.8 percent, and unemployment reached 7.9 percent. The middle class is considered especially affected, as according to the report it is suffering most under the adjustment measures.
Earlier, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge García Cuerva, had already criticised the government for its treatment of pensioners and persons with disabilities. Pensioners have been protesting every Wednesday for weeks in front of Congress, with repeated police operations and repression. The Pope thus took up an issue that the Church in the country is already concerned with.
The visit programme includes a Mass on Monday, Córdoba on Tuesday and Luján on Wednesday. The Pope had previously arrived from Uruguay; the trip also leads to Peru, where he worked for around 20 years. Leo XIV paid tribute to his predecessor Francis as the most important figure in Argentina, the country from which he came. At the Casa Rosada, the Pope and Milei held a roughly 40-minute one-on-one conversation. The Pope also visited the monument to José de San Martín, the country's national hero, and received the keys to the city of Buenos Aires.
Source: holanews.com
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