Pope Leo XIV departs Argentina after three day visit

President Javier Milei grew visibly emotional as Pope Leo XIV departed Argentina for Peru on the final leg of his South American tour, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya English, and UA.NEWS reported. Al Jazeera stated that the three-day trip highlighted tensions between the pontiff and Milei over austerity cuts to social programmes. [1][8][10]

The pontiff closed his visit to Argentina with an appeal for unity and reconciliation, offering a message of hope to the nation, Sky News and Vatican News reported. DW.com reported that Pope Leo XIV drew 2.5 million people in Buenos Aires and renewed his warnings regarding the economic policies of the Argentine government. [2][7][9]

Milei has served as the president of Argentina since 2023, after serving in the Chamber of Deputies from 2021 to 2023. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Pope Leo XIV visited the Cottolengo Don Orione care centre in Claypole during his trip, where he urged the Argentine government to protect vulnerable citizens amid ongoing austerity measures. [11][14]

The papal visit was the first to Argentina in nearly 40 years, as FTMQ News reported earlier. Pope Leo XIV has now travelled to Peru for the next leg of his tour, where a statue of the pontiff was previously unveiled in Callao ahead of his arrival. [1][14][15]