BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Nearly 40 years after the last papal visit to Argentina, many Catholics received the news of Pope Leo XIV’s trip to the South American country in November as a divine sign during economic hardships that have driven millions of Argentines into debt.The announcement of Leo’s first South American tour comes at a time when the Argentine Catholic Church has been warning of an alarming deterioration in the living conditions of the most marginalized sectors as a consequence of libertarian President Javier Milei’s austerity plan. Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has managed to slow inflation and reduce the fiscal deficit, but at a high social cost.The decline in wages and pensions, coupled with an increase in the cost of public transportation, utilities, rent and food, has forced millions of Argentines to go into debt to survive.
“I hope the Pope comes to help the poor like me,” said María Ruíz Díaz, a 70-year-old retiree who, as she does every Aug. 7, went to the Parish of Saint Cajetan in Buenos Aires to pray to the Catholic saint of work.“The country is going through a difficult time; there are many brothers and sisters in need,” said Santiago Olave, 60, among dozens of devotees waiting to enter the sanctuary. “The Pope can open hearts and minds.”Milei has defended his plan, saying this week: “I am not going to engage in populism. I am going to die with my boots on, doing what is right and doing what is proper. If you want populism, you have other alternatives.”
