President Milei welcomes Pope Leo during historic visit to Argentina

What the report says

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday, where President Javier Milei and his sister, presidential secretary Karina Milei, welcomed him at Jorge Newbery airport near Buenos Aires, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP and Reuters. The visit is the first papal trip to Argentina in nearly 40 years, following John Paul II’s 1987 visit, and comes after three days in Uruguay at the start of Leo’s Latin America tour.

The pope’s schedule in Argentina includes a welcome ceremony at Plaza San Martin, a meeting with Milei at the Casa Rosada, and later visits with officials, diplomats and civil society representatives. He is also expected to visit a prison and celebrate Mass in Buenos Aires, Lujan and Cordoba before continuing on to Peru. Leo, who is 71 and the first US-born pope, is due to remain in Argentina until Wednesday.

The trip carries political and religious significance because it comes amid tension between Milei’s government and the Catholic Church over austerity measures. The church has criticized cuts to social spending and safety-net programs, while Milei has defended them as necessary to reduce inflation. Al Jazeera noted that Catholic affiliation has also declined in Argentina over the past decade, even though the church remains the largest religious group in Latin America.