Pope Leon XIV arrives in Argentina!
Buenos Aires, Nov 8 (EFE).-
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday for an apostolic visit, the first to the country in nearly 40 years, since John Paul II’s trip in 1987. The Pope arrived in Buenos Aires from Montevideo at 4:34 pm local time on an Aerolíneas Argentinas flight at Jorge Newbery Airport.
As he landed, all the churches in Buenos Aires rang their bells.
Minutes after landing, León XIV appeared, waved, and then descended the boarding stairs and shook hands with Argentine President Javier Milei.
Then, the Argentine national anthem and a papal march were played, and the pope greeted the president’s sister and Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, as well as various ecclesiastical authorities.
A group of children, young people, and adults presented the pope with flowers and other gifts, and he greeted and blessed them.
León XIV then headed to downtown Buenos Aires to lay a wreath at the monument to José de San Martín, hero of South American independence, and will then meet with Milei at the Casa Rosada, the seat of government.
Afterwards, he met with Milei at the Casa Rosada, the seat of government, where he said, “the economy must be at the service of the person, and not the person at the service of the economy,” and called for “growth to also reach those facing the greatest difficulties.”
“I am thinking in particular of the families who bear the weight of uncertainty, of those seeking work, of the elderly who have contributed for years to building society, and of those who, even while working, struggle to meet their households’ needs,” he added.
The Pope’s remarks seemed to point to Milei’s economic policies, which have included public sector workers, resulting in tens of thousands of layoffs and reductions in pensions and subsidies.
The Pope also emphasized the need to recognize the dignity of the unborn and to protect life “from its very first moments until its natural end,” echoing Milei’s own opposition to abortion.
However, he added that “the same dignity demands special attention in the face of illness, dependency, and disability.”
In his speech, he also called for responsibility in caring for the earth and emphasized that “Argentina has been blessed by God with extraordinary natural wealth. Its fields, its water reserves, its energy sources, its minerals, and the diversity of its ecosystems offer vast possibilities for development.”
“A truly human ecology knows how to unite the care of creation with the care of people, ensuring that the use of these resources contributes to the well-being of communities and preserves the conditions that make life and work possible in their territories,” he stated, referring to Benedict XVI’s encyclical ‘Caritas in Veritate.’
On Monday, he will visit the Cottolengo Don Orione, a care center for people with disabilities in Claypole (25 kilometers south of Buenos Aires); preside over a Mass at the Monumento de los Españoles in the Argentine capital; and attend meetings with representatives from the labor sector, religious leaders, and the Catholic bishops of Argentina.
On Tuesday, he will travel to Córdoba (700 kilometers north of Buenos Aires), Argentina’s second-most populous city, where he will celebrate Mass and meet with priests and religious leaders.
On Wednesday, he will preside over another Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján (70 kilometers west of the capital), among other activities. EFE
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