Pope Leo XIV departs Uruguay for tense Argentina visit
The pontiff leaves a secular nation where he praised women who taught faith to the young, moving to Buenos Aires to meet President Javier Milei amid economic controversy.
By Fatima Saleh ·
Pope Leo XIV concluded his visit to Uruguay on Sunday and traveled to Argentina to begin the second phase of his South American tour. The move shifts focus to a politically sensitive meeting with President Javier Milei, whose austerity policies have drawn sharp criticism from the Catholic Church.
In the city of Florida, north of Montevideo, Leo celebrated the feast of the Virgin of the Thirty-three. He marked the occasion by acknowledging the role of women in preserving Catholic traditions. Leo noted that the history of nations often requires reference to God to be fully understood. He specifically thanked mothers and grandmothers for passing the faith to younger generations, even when their children stopped attending Mass.
"You taught your children to pray, and today they no longer do so," Leo said during his homily. He urged them not to despair and to continue sharing their beliefs. Tens of thousands of people gathered in the main square for the event. The Vatican estimated the crowd at 50,000, a large number for a city with a population of roughly 40,000.
Leo became the first pope to visit Uruguay in nearly four decades. The trip aimed to reaffirm the church's presence in a country that has historically leaned toward secularism. Some attendees, like English professor Fiama Pirez, traveled from Montevideo to make the event a family outing. She described the day as a time for rediscovering her faith.
In Buenos Aires, Milei is scheduled to greet the pope at the airport. The two leaders will appear together for a traditional welcome ceremony and exchange speeches. The Argentine church has criticized Milei's administration for cutting social spending. Since taking office in December 2023, his government has reduced the healthcare budget by 48% in real terms. Poverty reached 32.3% of the population in the first half of 2026, affecting about 15 million people.
Milei has defended his cuts as necessary to fix the economy and achieve a budget surplus. He has described social justice as an aberration and dismissed complaints about monthly finances as huge stupidity. His government also courted investment in artificial intelligence, a sector Leo has said requires strict international safeguards. Karina Milei, the president's sister, stated that the visit is purely religious and that the pope belongs to all Argentines.
The visit also addresses unfinished business from the papacy of Leo's predecessor, Pope Francis. The Argentine Jesuit never returned to his home country during his 12 years in office. David Lantigua, a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame, said tensions regarding Francis' legacy are expected to surface. Leo, who spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, is continuing that focus on the poor.
Argentina's state intelligence agency said a person was arrested Saturday over death threats against Leo. A federal court in Campana ordered the arrest less than 24 hours after receiving a tip. Leo is scheduled to visit Peru at the end of the tour, the country where he served as a missionary priest for 20 years.
