Pope Leo XIV criticised Argentine President Javier Milei’s austerity measures on Sunday, shortly after landing in Buenos Aires on the second leg of a Latin America tour. In a speech, the pope said the economy must serve people rather than people serving the economy.
A veiled reference to cuts
The pope’s speech called for growth that benefits everyone, with particular concern for the poor, pensioners, and people affected by illness, dependency and disability. The article describes the passage as a veiled allusion to government cuts to disability assistance. He also said corruption undermines citizens’ confidence in their institutions.
Milei’s government has pursued austerity since taking office, aiming to shrink the state and tame inflation. The article says inflation was drastically reduced under that programme. The poverty rate has swung widely over the same period, rising to 32.3 percent in September.
A church under pressure
The pope is recovering from lung cancer surgery performed three weeks earlier. The visit is the first by a pope to Argentina in nearly four decades. The late Pope Francis was Argentine.
Catholicism’s hold on the country has weakened. A University of Buenos Aires poll found 57.7 percent of people identify as Catholic, against roughly 90 percent in the 1960s. The church expects 7 million people to attend its events during the visit.
