After 40 Years: The Pope to Visit Argentina Amidst Church-President Milei Conflict
Many Catholics received the news of Pope Leo XIV's planned visit this November as a sign from heaven, against the backdrop of a severe economic crisis that has pushed millions into debt following the president's austerity measures. The Archbishop of Buenos Aires stated: "People need two or more jobs to make ends meet, or they fall into the trap of loans that lead to debt."
Almost 40 years after the last papal visit to Argentina, many Catholics in the country have received the news of the planned visit of Pope Leo XIV this November as a sign from heaven, against the backdrop of an economic crisis that has pushed millions of Argentines into debt. The announcement of the visit—Leo's first trip to South America since his election—comes during a period in which the Argentine Catholic Church is warning of a worrying deterioration in the living conditions of the most vulnerable, as a result of the austerity plan of President Javier Milei.
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has managed to slow inflation and reduce the budget deficit, but at a high social cost: a decrease in wages and benefits, alongside rising prices for public transport, electricity, water, rent, and food, have forced millions of Argentines to go into debt just to survive.
"I hope the Pope will come to help the poor like me," said Maria Ruiz Diaz, a 70-year-old pensioner who, as every August 7th, arrived at the San Cayetano church in Buenos Aires to pray for work.
"The country is going through a difficult time; there are many brothers and sisters in distress," said 60-year-old Santiago Olava, who was waiting among dozens of believers at the entrance to the sanctuary. "The Pope can open hearts and minds."
Milei, for his part, defended his policy, stating this week: "I am not going to engage in populism. I will continue to fight and do what is right and appropriate. If you want populism, you have other alternatives."
Concurrently with the announcement of the visit, the Church placed cardboard figures of an elderly woman, a person with a disability in a wheelchair, a homeless man, and a teacher under the caption: "San Cayetano, here is your people." These figures represent groups hit hardest by the Milei administration's budget cuts in health, education, and social support.
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Monsignor Jorge Garcia Cuerva, who led the prayer on Friday, said:
"San Cayetano, here is your people, who need two or more jobs to make ends meet, or fall into the trap of loans that put so many families into debt and suffocation."
He added: "With Pope Leo XIV, we say that economic freedom cannot be absolute, and it must always be measured in terms of the common good and the dignity of every person."
The last leader of the Catholic Church to visit Argentina was John Paul II in April 1987. Conversely, Pope Francis, a native of Argentina, never returned to his homeland from the time he took office in 2013 until he passed away a little less than a year and a half ago.
