Pope Leo tells Argentina's leaders 'the economy must serve the person' on first papal visit since 1987

As of 10:26 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday on the first papal visit to the country since St. John Paul II's in 1987, The Associated Press reported, and in his first speech there told political leaders that people must come before the economy.

"The economy must serve the person, not the person the economy," Leo told officials, diplomats and civic leaders in Buenos Aires, The Associated Press reported. The AP described the address as a diplomatic but subtly strong critique of President Javier Milei's austerity measures and libertarian agenda.

On Monday, Leo celebrated Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles in Buenos Aires, where about 2.5 million people attended, according to local authorities cited by the Vatican press office. In his homily, he told families, "Do not give in to those who dismiss the Christian family as outdated," according to the Vatican's text. The city government said St. John Paul II celebrated Mass at the same site in June 1982.

Welcome from Milei

Leo landed at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery on Sunday afternoon on a flight from Montevideo, Uruguay, and was welcomed on the runway by Milei, the Buenos Aires Herald reported. After stopping at the monument to independence hero José de San Martín, he went to the Casa Rosada presidential palace for a welcome ceremony and a private meeting with Milei, the Vatican press office said. Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri then presented him with the keys to the city.

At the Palacio Libertad cultural center, Milei spoke first. "I want to remember Jorge Bergoglio, our dear Pope Francis, the most important Argentine in history," the president said, according to the Buenos Aires Herald. The AP noted that Milei once called Francis the "representative of evil on Earth." Leo, in turn, said he was "in some sense retracing" the steps of his Argentine predecessor, the National Catholic Reporter reported.

Universities, young people and AI

Leo said democracy depends on the "careful use of words" and on "the ability to see those who think differently as fellow citizens with whom we share a common future," according to the AP. He urged Argentina to encourage "whatever creates opportunities" and "stimulates private initiative," but said growth must also benefit "those who are disadvantaged," including the unemployed and retirees.

Giving young people a future means "investing in education, vocational training, universities and research," Leo said. The remark comes amid a long fight over funding for Argentina's public universities. Professors and students have staged repeated mass protests demanding that the government carry out a law passed by Congress to restore professors' salaries and research funding, and the dispute is tied up in court, the AP reported. "A nation must seriously ask itself where it has failed when its young people have to leave their homeland in order to make their dreams come true," the pope said.

Leo also said natural resources must serve "the well-being of communities," and warned that fast advances in artificial intelligence demand "careful consideration of the consequences of their application," according to the AP.

Before the visit, Milei's officials had played down the prospect of a clash. "There's no way the pope is coming here to comment on local politics," Human Capital Minister Sandra Pettovello told a Buenos Aires radio station last week, the AP reported.

From Uruguay to Peru

The Argentina stop follows Leo's visit to Uruguay, where he celebrated the first Mass of the trip on Saturday at Parque París Londres in Paysandú. Local authorities confirmed that about 40,000 people attended, the Vatican press office said. Deutsche Welle reported that the pope underwent surgery for lung cancer on Oct. 13.

Before Monday's Mass, Leo visited a Don Orione home in Claypole, the Vatican said. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to celebrate Mass in Córdoba and then lead a youth vigil back in Buenos Aires, according to the Vatican's program. The 12-day trip ends in Peru on Nov. 17.