{"id":2245547,"date":"2026-11-09T01:35:52","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T22:35:52","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-11-09T01:35:52","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T22:35:52","slug":"pope-leo-starts-jam-packed-south-america-tour-just-weeks-after-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2245547","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo starts jam-packed South America tour just weeks after surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/79894825_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5PEHT<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
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Despite a rocky relationship with the Vatican, Milei was all smiles on SundayImage: Tiziana Fabi\/AFP\/AP Photo\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Pope Leo XIV<\/a> arrived in Argentina<\/a> on Sunday, urging to protect democracy and ensure economic growth benefits the poor.<\/p>\n

The pope’s remarks were widely watched for criticism of President Javier Milei<\/a>‘s harsh austerity programs<\/a> and cuts affecting social services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Leo did not address the government’s policies directly, he said “the economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talking to Milei and other government officials, he pointed to the plight of those who, “despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs.”<\/p>\n

With regards to democracy, he said\u00a0it was “part of Argentina’s heritage that needs to be safeguarded.”<\/p>\n

The visit to Buenos Aires marks the second leg of the pope’s South America tour and is the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly 40 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 71-year old pontiff, who underwent surgery for lung cancer less than a month ago, arrived from Uruguay and is scheduled to visit several cities in the Catholic-majority country before continuing to Peru on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Crowd
People were excited about the first papal visit in almost 40 yearsImage: Tomas Cuesta\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Milei’s rocky relationship with the Catholic Church<\/span><\/h2>\n

Milei’s policies have in the past drawn strong criticism from Argentina’s Catholic Church, particularly cuts\u00a0affecting social services, pensions, disability assistance and public universities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Argentine leader, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has defended his aggressive spending cuts as necessary to stabilize the country’s ailing economy and curb inflation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annual inflation has fallen from more than 200% to approximately 33% under his administration, but households continue to face financial pressure, and there’s been anger over public-sector layoffs and business closures.<\/p>\n

In the past, he agressively dismissed criticsm from the Catholic Church, going as far as calling Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis<\/a>, an “imbecile.”\u00a0He had\u00a0later though softened his tone and met with Francis in Rome<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Milei\u00a0struck a significantly more conciliatory note, praising Francis as an “exceptional figure” and the “most important Argentine in history.”<\/p>\n

Safeguarding democracy<\/h2>\n

Pope Leo also stressed the need to safeguard democracy in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Those who exercise authority have a duty to act with prudence, to acknowledge the limits of the power entrusted to them, and to direct their decisions toward the good of the entire community.”<\/p>\n

The Pope’s words carry particular significance ahead of Argentina’s presidential election in 2027, in which Milei has said he will seek another term.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The president’s aggressive rhetoric and frequent attacks on journalists and political opponents are widely seen as part of an increasing political polarization in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leo\u00a0told Milei\u00a0that strengthening democracy required a “willingness to listen” and the “careful use of words.”<\/p>\n

His visit marks the first time a pope has traveled to Argentina since John Paul II’s trip in 1987. It also brings renewed attention to the legacy of Francis, the country’s first pope, who died in April 2025 without returning to his homeland during his 12-year papacy.<\/p>\n

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Pope Leo starts jam-packed South America tour just weeks after surgery<\/h2>\n

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Pope Leo XIV<\/a> arrived in Argentina<\/a> on Sunday, urging to protect democracy and ensure economic growth benefits the poor.<\/p>\n

The pope’s remarks were widely watched for criticism of President Javier Milei<\/a>‘s harsh austerity programs<\/a> and cuts affecting social services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Leo did not address the government’s policies directly, he said “the economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talking to Milei and other government officials, he pointed to the plight of those who, “despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs.”<\/p>\n

With regards to democracy, he said\u00a0it was “part of Argentina’s heritage that needs to be safeguarded.”<\/p>\n

The visit to Buenos Aires marks the second leg of the pope’s South America tour and is the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly 40 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 71-year old pontiff, who underwent surgery for lung cancer less than a month ago, arrived from Uruguay and is scheduled to visit several cities in the Catholic-majority country before continuing to Peru on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Crowd
People were excited about the first papal visit in almost 40 yearsImage: Tomas Cuesta\/AFP<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Milei’s rocky relationship with the Catholic Church<\/span><\/h2>\n

Milei’s policies have in the past drawn strong criticism from Argentina’s Catholic Church, particularly cuts\u00a0affecting social services, pensions, disability assistance and public universities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Argentine leader, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has defended his aggressive spending cuts as necessary to stabilize the country’s ailing economy and curb inflation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annual inflation has fallen from more than 200% to approximately 33% under his administration, but households continue to face financial pressure, and there’s been anger over public-sector layoffs and business closures.<\/p>\n

In the past, he agressively dismissed criticsm from the Catholic Church, going as far as calling Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis<\/a>, an “imbecile.”\u00a0He had\u00a0later though softened his tone and met with Francis in Rome<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Milei\u00a0struck a significantly more conciliatory note, praising Francis as an “exceptional figure” and the “most important Argentine in history.”<\/p>\n

Safeguarding democracy<\/h2>\n

Pope Leo also stressed the need to safeguard democracy in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Those who exercise authority have a duty to act with prudence, to acknowledge the limits of the power entrusted to them, and to direct their decisions toward the good of the entire community.”<\/p>\n

The Pope’s words carry particular significance ahead of Argentina’s presidential election in 2027, in which Milei has said he will seek another term.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The president’s aggressive rhetoric and frequent attacks on journalists and political opponents are widely seen as part of an increasing political polarization in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leo\u00a0told Milei\u00a0that strengthening democracy required a “willingness to listen” and the “careful use of words.”<\/p>\n

His visit marks the first time a pope has traveled to Argentina since John Paul II’s trip in 1987. It also brings renewed attention to the legacy of Francis, the country’s first pope, who died in April 2025 without returning to his homeland during his 12-year papacy.<\/p>\n

\n

Pope Leo starts jam-packed South America tour just weeks after surgery<\/h2>\n

Pope Leo XIV<\/a> arrived in Argentina<\/a> on Sunday, urging to protect democracy and ensure economic growth benefits the poor.<\/p>\n

The pope’s remarks were widely watched for criticism of President Javier Milei<\/a>‘s harsh austerity programs<\/a> and cuts affecting social services.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While Leo did not address the government’s policies directly, he said “the economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Talking to Milei and other government officials, he pointed to the plight of those who, “despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household’s needs.”<\/p>\n

With regards to democracy, he said\u00a0it was “part of Argentina’s heritage that needs to be safeguarded.”<\/p>\n

The visit to Buenos Aires marks the second leg of the pope’s South America tour and is the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly 40 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 71-year old pontiff, who underwent surgery for lung cancer less than a month ago, arrived from Uruguay and is scheduled to visit several cities in the Catholic-majority country before continuing to Peru on Wednesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Milei’s policies have in the past drawn strong criticism from Argentina’s Catholic Church, particularly cuts\u00a0affecting social services, pensions, disability assistance and public universities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Argentine leader, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has defended his aggressive spending cuts as necessary to stabilize the country’s ailing economy and curb inflation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Annual inflation has fallen from more than 200% to approximately 33% under his administration, but households continue to face financial pressure, and there’s been anger over public-sector layoffs and business closures.<\/p>\n

In the past, he agressively dismissed criticsm from the Catholic Church, going as far as calling Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis<\/a>, an “imbecile.”\u00a0He had\u00a0later though softened his tone and met with Francis in Rome<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Milei\u00a0struck a significantly more conciliatory note, praising Francis as an “exceptional figure” and the “most important Argentine in history.”<\/p>\n

Pope Leo also stressed the need to safeguard democracy in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Those who exercise authority have a duty to act with prudence, to acknowledge the limits of the power entrusted to them, and to direct their decisions toward the good of the entire community.”<\/p>\n

The Pope’s words carry particular significance ahead of Argentina’s presidential election in 2027, in which Milei has said he will seek another term.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The president’s aggressive rhetoric and frequent attacks on journalists and political opponents are widely seen as part of an increasing political polarization in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leo\u00a0told Milei\u00a0that strengthening democracy required a “willingness to listen” and the “careful use of words.”<\/p>\n

His visit marks the first time a pope has traveled to Argentina since John Paul II’s trip in 1987. It also brings renewed attention to the legacy of Francis, the country’s first pope, who died in April 2025 without returning to his homeland during his 12-year papacy.<\/p>\n

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[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/pope-leo-urges-argentinas-milei-to-put-people-before-the-economy\/a-79894779″]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/79894825_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5PEHT Prefer DW on Google Despite a rocky relationship with the Vatican, Milei was all smiles on SundayImage: Tiziana Fabi\/AFP\/AP Photo\/picture alliance Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday, urging to protect democracy and ensure economic growth benefits the poor. The pope’s remarks were widely watched for criticism of President Javier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2245547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2245547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2245547\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2245547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2245547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2245547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}