Pope Leo XIV Criticizes Economic Policy
Pope Leo XIV stated on Sunday, November 8, 2026, that la economía debe estar al servicio de la persona, y no la persona al servicio de la economía
and asked to allow que el crecimiento alcance también a quienes encuentran mayores dificultades
, delivering the remark during a speech to authorities in Buenos Aires, in presence of Argentine President Javier Milei.
The pontiff arrived in Buenos Aires from Montevideo for his first official engagement at the Casa Rosada, where he met with Milei before addressing civil society and diplomats at the Palacio Libertad. Leo XIV pointed to families carrying the burden of uncertainty, job seekers, and seniors who built society, noting that even employed individuals struggle to cover basic household needs.
A multitude arrived at Plaza San Martín to see the pope, who wanted to visit the monument to the Liberator.
The address comes as Milei implements an ultraliberal reform program involving steep public spending cuts. These measures have triggered tens of thousands of layoffs among public workers, alongside reductions in pensions and state subsidies.
Alignment on Abortion and Aid
Pope Leo XIV and President Milei share a firm stance against abortion. The pontiff emphasized the dignity of the unborn and the need to protect human life from its earliest moments to its natural end. Yet, Leo XIV added that la misma dignidad reclama especial atención en la enfermedad, la dependencia y la discapacidad
. The Argentine Church previously urged the administration to address severe fiscal adjustments affecting the disability sector.
Beyond domestic social policy, Leo XIV addressed ecological stewardship and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. He warned that technological advancements in medicine, education, and research require strict accountability regarding their application, highlighting that Argentina has been blessed by God with an extraordinary natural wealth including fields, water reserves, energy sources, minerals, and ecosystem diversity. Milei has publicly defended that preventive regulation of this technology must not exist.
Esther Duflo critiques unregulated technology and social divides
Economist Esther Duflo offered a parallel critique of unregluated technology, arguing that algorithmic capital threatens to destroy skilled labor and widen social divides without adequate state support, enpositivo.com reported. Duflo—a French-American economist awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for her experimental approach to global poverty, co-founder and director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, and winner of the 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences—relocated from the United States to Switzerland and emphasized that climate change and income inequality demand global wealth taxes to support vulnerable populations.
In Buenos Aires, Pope Leo XIV similarly urged stronger international cooperation to combat organized crime, human trafficking, and drug cartels. Addressing domestic retention of talent, the pontiff asked what a nation fails to provide when its youth must emigrate to achieve their dreams.
Frequently Asked Questions
What specific local sectors have faced the deepest government cuts in Argentina?
Public administration, pension disbursements, state subsidies, and disability programs have experienced severe reductions under President Javier Milei’s fiscal adjustment policies.
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