Pope Leo XIV tells Argentina to shield the poor from austerity

Pope Leo XIV told Argentines on Monday that their government must protect the most vulnerable people from the effects of deep spending cuts. He made the remarks during a two-day visit that drew the largest crowd of his papacy to a Mass in Buenos Aires. The Vatican estimated 2.5 million people attended the service. The government declared a national holiday to allow workers to participate.

The visit highlighted the financial strain on social services under President Javier Milei’s administration. Leo began his day at the Cottolengo Don Orione, a facility south of Buenos Aires that houses more than 400 people with disabilities. The home had received only four months of its annual funding from the state. Fernando Montero, who oversees disability services there, said authorities recently paid the facility approximately $535,000 for medicine, diapers, and food. This payment covered the four months the home was owed. The Senate is scheduled to consider legislation in the coming days that would set aside money for disability benefits in next year's budget.

Leo then addressed a mixed audience of union leaders, industrialists, and informal workers at the Catholic University of Argentina. He cited the concept that private property is always subject to a social mortgage. He argued that when a few hold power, work becomes a tool for exploitation. Leo stated that depriving a person of work wounds their dignity and pushes them into social exclusion. He described labor unions as indispensable institutions when they defend those without a voice. The speech also warned that artificial intelligence and unregulated automation could put countless jobs at risk.

President Milei praised the pope's earlier speech to officials as outstanding but said he did not want to use the new remarks politically. Opposition leader Axel Kicillof, the governor of Buenos Aires province, said the pope was taking Milei to task. Kicillof urged those who had closed their ears to the message to listen. Union leader Hugo Godoy called the speech a breath of encouragement for workers fighting against deteriorating living conditions.

The informal sector of the labor force has grown from 41% to 45% since Milei took office. Leo defended these workers, including waste pickers and artisans, saying they organize themselves from the grassroots to build community-based solutions. He noted that these groups do not passively wait for state assistance. The visit marked the first papal Mass in Argentina in nearly four decades.

The minimum pension in Argentina is about $300. This amount is roughly a quarter of what an older adult needs to cover medicine, housing, and food. Isabel Martin, 73, who attended the Mass with her parish group, said the weakest people should not carry the burden of economic adjustment. She expressed hope that the pope could influence the president to reconsider his approach to spending cuts on pensioners and public universities.