The pope's first message in Argentina, shortly after his arrival and his meeting with Milei, addressed the national reality this Sunday and confirmed the social focus of this apostolic visit. At the Palacio Libertad, before civil society, the libertarian president and other authorities and political sectors, Leo XIV stated that "the economy must be at the service of the person, and not the person at the service of the economy."

"I think in a particular way of the families that carry on their shoulders 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, have difficulties covering the needs of their household," said the supreme pontiff in a speech that also conveyed a harsh political message.

Wealth for the Benefit of All, Education and Research

"The pope addressed society and the political class with a message that made Javier Milei uncomfortable," commented the newspaper Página 12 on the words of the Holy Father, interpreted by the media and analysts as a strong message to the Argentine president.

Leo XIV asked that "growth also reach those who encounter greater difficulties." He did so before a president and a government with an ultraliberal program of cuts that has decimated the power of wages, employment, family economy, and social programs, pensions, and subsidies, sent poverty soaring, and attacked science and education, while also hitting the business fabric, investment, domestic consumption, and the country's rating.

"Argentina possesses many human resources," but "making that wealth bear fruit for the benefit of all requires paying particular attention to young people," said Leo XIV, since "the opportunities they find today will largely determine whether they can develop their life projects here."

The bishop of Rome was clearer when underscoring the value of social investment for the nation's future. "A nation must seriously ask itself where it has failed when its young people must leave their land to realize their dreams," he said, and maintained that "creating the conditions" for young people "to freely project their lives" in Argentina "requires particularly strengthening education, professional training, the university, and research."

Pope: "Willingness to Listen" and "Care for the Word"

Leo XIV began his speech at the Palacio Libertad, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento Cultural Center, recalling his predecessor, Pope Francis, who for 12 years "carried with him, in memory and in heart, the places, the people, and the faith he received here."

"Today, succeeding him in the Petrine ministry, I in a certain way travel the reverse path and come to the homeland where Pope Francis began a story that would later become intertwined with that of the entire Church," affirmed the Holy Father.

Before Milei and the rest of those present, he stressed that democracy "is strengthened with a willingness to listen, with care for the word, with the patient search for agreements, and with the capacity to recognize in those who think differently."

Milei, whose approval rating among Argentines has fallen to around 30 percent for months, frequently makes virulent attacks against the left, the press, and anyone who differs from his line. The president has continued his adjustment and reforms despite reports revealing the economic failure of his management, growing popular demands, demonstrations, and strikes that have filled the country's streets, heavily repressed by police.

In his intervention, the Holy Father said that "whoever exercises authority also has the duty to act with prudence, recognize the limits of the power entrusted to him, and orient his decisions toward the good of the entire community."

The pope stressed the need to "learn to coexist even when differences exist" and that peoples can grow "when their differences become an occasion for dialogue."

He added that "democracy belongs to that heritage that must be safeguarded," and that "those who have public responsibilities have a particularly demanding task."

"Authority reaches its highest meaning when it is exercised as service, when it knows how to look beyond the immediate, and when it places its capacities in the care of what belongs to everyone," said the leader of the Catholic Church.

Dignity in Illness, Resources for Communities

Milei has also cut assistance to people with disabilities and health budgets. Pope Leo XIV stressed this Sunday at the Palacio Libertad in Buenos Aires that dignity "demands special attention in illness, dependency, and disability."

He did not leave out the strategic field of national resources and their importance in the service of the people. "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 ample possibilities for development," he said.

"An authentically human ecology knows how to unite care for creation with care for people, seeking 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 added.

Upon Leo XIV's arrival this Sunday, all the churches of Buenos Aires rang their bells in a sign of joy. This visit, under the motto "Welcome all: go and announce," is the first by a pope to Argentina since 1987, when John Paul II made his second trip to the country.

This Monday, the pope will visit the Cottolengo Don Orione, an assistance center for people with disabilities in the Buenos Aires locality of Claypole, and will preside over a massive mass at the Monument to the Spaniards in the Argentine capital.

On Tuesday he will travel to Córdoba (700 kilometers north of Buenos Aires), and on Wednesday he will crown his visit with a mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján (70 kilometers west of the capital), before departing for Peru.