BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Pope Leo XIV delivered a vibrant tribute to the dignity of workers before Argentine union and business leaders on Monday, in what critics of Argentine President Javier Milei saw as a rebuke to his libertarian agenda, capping a day that began at a home for the disabled grappling with his government’s spending cuts.
The two politically charged stops capped Leo’s first mass in Argentina, which the Vatican said drew about 2.5 million people – the largest crowd of his papacy.
His visit electrified this predominantly Catholic country which had not hosted a papal visit for almost four decades. Leo’s Argentine predecessor, Pope Francis, I never came home during his 12-year pontificate, a decision widely attributed to his fear of being drawn into his country’s deep political division.
Leo, an American with no vested interest, jumped into the fray Monday, channeling Francis with a subtle but unmistakable reminder of Catholic social teaching. The room erupted when he invoked Francis’ famous “three Ts” of social justice: “tierra, techo y trabajo,” or land, housing and work.
“Depriving a person of work does not simply mean denying them income,” said Leo of the Catholic University of Argentina. “This seriously undermines their dignity, deprives them of the ability to contribute to society and plunges them into social exclusion. »
An unusual event bringing together businesses and unions
The hearing brought together union leaders who have organized general strikes against Milei and manufacturers hit by cheap imports since his government removed trade barriers. Also present were informal workers, whose share of the workforce fell from 41% when Milei took office to 45%, as mass layoffs and a struggling economy wiped out formal jobs.
Most poignant were the “cartoneros,” the Argentinian trash collectors and recyclers who occupied pride of place during Francis’ pontificate.
Opposition leaders heard a pope took Milei to task. “Let those who have closed their ears listen to it,” declared the governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof, the most powerful elected official of the left-wing Peronist opposition.
Milei praised the pope’s message while avoiding its content. He called Leo’s speech to Argentine officials on Sunday, in which he defended retirees and public universities crushed by his cuts, “exceptional” with “many valuable elements.” He declined to provide further details, saying he did not want to “get into the mud by using this speech for political purposes.”
Union leaders said Leo’s speech was a vindication of their fight. “At a time when we, Argentines, are experiencing such aggression against our living conditions, which are deteriorating day by day, it is a breath of encouragement to continue to resist, to continue to fight,” declared Hugo Godoy, general secretary of the Autonomous Central of Argentine Workers, one of the main union federations in the country.
A first visit to a home for disabled people in difficulty
But Leo’s itinerary spoke for itself. His first stop Monday was the Cottolengo Don Orione, a sprawling “charity town” south of Buenos Aires that is home to more than 400 people with disabilities. Residents and staff cried when he arrived and he hugged people in wheelchairs.
He told them that their lives were a blessing and not a burden.
“A nation’s progress is also measured by how well it accommodates all people with disabilities and special needs,” he said.
Milei’s government withheld much of the funding for care of disabled people despite a law Congress passed last year to reinstate its veto, which sparked protests from Argentina’s Catholic bishops. Like the house running out of money attracted international attention Before Leo’s visit, authorities paid him about $535,000 for medicine, diapers and food, covering four of the 12 months he is owed, said Fernando Montero, who oversees his disability services. The Senate is expected to consider a bill in the coming days that would dedicate money for disability benefits in next year’s budget.
“The people here deserve this grace,” said Kuyen Rolon Rey, a volunteer. “Choosing a place so small, but big if we measure it with love, makes us very happy. »
Leo’s message for Argentine workers
Leo used the speech at Catholic University to push back against the core tenets of Milei’s libertarian credo, insisting that private property is “always subject to a social mortgage.”
“Wherever the domination of a few becomes the rule, work turns into exploitation of all components of the work community, and workers end up being valued solely for their efficiency,” Leo said.
For many in the room, this described life under Milei. “We live in a time where work is considered an expense or a loss, as if people forgot that behind every worker there is a family and human beings who feel, live and think,” union delegate Sabrina Soledad Sapone told the pope during the meeting.
Leo praised the unions, who led the fight against Milei’s Free Market Remake, as “indispensable institutions when defending those who have no voice.” He also defended the movements of informal workers, who Milei’s government banned from distributing social benefits, saying they promote dependence on the state.
Waste pickers, farmers and artisans “are not passively waiting for help from the state,” Leo said. “They organize from the ground up to develop community solutions. »
Leo – who took his name partly in response to the AI revolution – warned that “artificial intelligence and unregulated automation can put countless jobs at risk” and called on governments to protect workers, as did Milei, who opposes regulation of technologyis courting billions of dollars of investment in AI.
On a day when Leo was clearly honoring Francis’ legacy of social justice, the American pope paid a spiritual tribute to his predecessor by praying in front of a plaque in his honor in his former cathedral, surrounded by children.
The first papal mass in almost 40 years
Thousands of people arrived at midnight to claim a place at the Monumento a los Españoles, where St. John Paul II celebrated Argentina’s last papal mass in 1987. The government declared a national holiday so people could attend. Milei and her sister, Karina Milei, secretary general of the presidency, were seated in the VIP seats.
In his homily, Leo said Argentine families face unemployment, violence and drug addiction, but remain the foundation of society.
“Don’t give in to those who see the Christian family as outdated,” he said. “On the contrary, today more than ever, it remains a pillar among the many insecurities of our time.”
Isabel Martín, 73, who came with her church group, said she prayed that Leo would “touch the heart” of Milei, whose spending cuts have also hit retirees hard.
“The pope was very specific in his message yesterday,” she said, referring to Leo’s inaugural speech with Milei. “The weakest cannot be those who bear the burden of adjustment, especially poor retirees. If anyone can make it reconsider, it is the pope.”
In Argentina, the minimum pension is around $300, about a quarter of what an elderly person needs to cover their care, housing and food.
Leo’s message also resonated with young Argentines, who have experienced the steepest decline in Catholic practice among all age groups. Margarita Lanús, who turned 16 on Monday, shared a birthday cake on the sidewalk with her family while waiting for mass.
“I really like that he tells it like it is,” she said. “He gets to the point.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives AP support collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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