Pope Leo XIV arrives in Argentina for first pontifical visit in nearly four decades

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday, greeted by President Javier Milei at the foot of his plane on arrival. The visit is the first by a pontiff to the country in nearly four decades.

Leo began his 12-day Latin American tour in Uruguay, where he condemned drug violence and urged an end to child poverty. He arrived in Argentina just three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.

The visit comes amid deep political divisions. Milei, who called the late Pope Francis an "imbecile" for championing social justice during his campaign, has been criticised by Argentina's Catholic Church for treating key social services solely as a budgetary constraint. The poverty rate stood at 32.3 percent in September.

Argentines are hoping his arrival will help unite the country, bitterly divided between supporters and opponents of the libertarian Milei. "Just like the World Cup unites us, hopefully the pope will too," said Liliana Deblauwe, a 68-year-old retired teacher who waited with hundreds of people in a square for a glimpse of the passing pontiff. "I'd like him to bring peace, unity, and — it's not nice to say this — but for him to kick out Milei because he's a bad person," said Maria Veronica Panza, a 52-year-old housewife waiting nearby. Brian Inacio Rodriguez, a 26-year-old job seeker, spent five days travelling overland from Ushuaia, at the very tip of South America, to see the pope. "It was worth it to be near the holy father," he said, adding he hoped Leo brought "much peace to Argentina."

Several hundred people chanting "Papa Leon" and waving yellow-and-white Vatican flags gathered outside the presidential palace where Leo was hosted by Milei, kept at a distance behind anti-riot police barriers.

Leo is expected to speak in defence of society's most vulnerable, whose circumstances have worsened under Milei's cuts to public hospitals, universities and pensioner benefits. He will visit a home for disabled people and a prison and celebrate three open-air masses. The Church anticipates a total of seven million faithful at the various events.

Milei came to office on a promise to revive Argentina's ailing economy and tame runaway inflation by shrinking the welfare state. His relationship with Leo has so far been cordial, but the local Catholic Church has heavily criticised him for treating key social services solely as a budgetary constraint. He has also been criticised for restricting several democratic freedoms, including the right to protest, though he maintains a loyal supporter base for drastically reducing inflation.

The visit also acts as a measure of Catholic membership: a University of Buenos Aires poll found that 57.7 percent of Argentines identified as Catholic, down from around 90 percent in the 1960s. Leo will remain in Argentina for a four-day visit before continuing his Latin American tour.