Pope Leo XIV traveled to Argentina on Sunday following a three-day tour of Uruguay, where he addressed church sex abuse and advocated for global peace, npr.org reported.
The Argentine capital marks the second leg of a 12-day apostolic journey across South America that is expected to test diplomatic ties with President Javier Milei. In Buenos Aires, Milei is scheduled to greet the pontiff at the airport before an official welcome ceremony and speeches, according to reporting by WYSU.
The papal visit arrives amid sharp criticism from the Catholic Church over the libertarian president’s aggressive austerity agenda. Milei has slashed social spending to eliminate the nation’s budget deficit and overhaul a troubled economy, dismissing social justice as an aberration that amounts to stealing, WYSU reported.
By contrast, Pope Leo took his papal name from the 19th-century pontiff whose encyclical on labor established modern Catholic social teaching. KCBX noted that the current pope has maintained a strong focus on the poor and vulnerable, continuing the legacy of his Argentine predecessor, Pope Francis.
Posters bearing the phrase “At last, a Lion who unites” appeared throughout Buenos Aires ahead of the arrival, playing on the pontiff’s Spanish name, León, alongside the lion imagery Milei frequently uses on social media, WYSU reported.
Before crossing the border, Pope Leo concluded his time in Uruguay by celebrating a massive outdoor Mass in the city of Florida, located north of Montevideo. The Vatican estimated that 50,000 people gathered for the service outside the city’s cathedral under clear skies, according to WYSU.
The pontiff used the final event of his Uruguayan tour to praise the mothers and grandmothers who preserved the Catholic faith in Latin America’s most secular nation. He acknowledged the heartbreak of parents whose children have drifted away from religious practice, urging them not to give up hope.
You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so,
Pope Leo told the congregation, according to KCBX. Mothers and grandmothers: never tire of passing on the faith!
Observers remain uncertain whether the closed-door discussions between Pope Leo and President Milei will yield concrete compromises on social spending. It remains unknown if the two leaders will bridge their ideological divide over market-driven economic reforms and the ethics of artificial intelligence.
Earlier coverage: Pope Leo XIV lands in Uruguay after lung operation
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