Pope Leo XIV delivered a stinging critique of Argentine President Javier Milei's harsh austerity measures on Sunday, insisting growth must benefit all in a speech met with rapturous applause in Buenos Aires, The Guardian reported.

"The economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy," the pontiff said shortly after landing in Argentina on the second leg of a 12-day Latin America tour. Leo stressed the plight of those who, "despite hard work, nonetheless struggle to meet their household's needs", and called for "particular concern be shown for those affected by illness, dependency and disability" — a veiled reference to the government's cuts to disability assistance.

First papal visit in nearly four decades

The visit is the first by a pontiff to Argentina in nearly four decades, and Leo was met with calls to help mend deep divisions in the country after three years of austerity under Milei, AFP reported. He arrived in Buenos Aires from Uruguay, where his tour began, three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.

Argentina's poverty rate rose to 32.3 percent in September under Milei, who took office promising to shrink the welfare state. The visit is the first by a pontiff to the home country of the late Pope Francis in nearly four decades, and the first papal visit to Argentina since John Paul II travelled there in 1987.

A delicate meeting with Milei

Milei, a self-described anarcho-capitalist, has staked his presidency on slashing public spending to tame inflation, while describing the notion of social justice as "a horror" and a "moral aberration". His austerity drive has produced a rare budget surplus and slashed annual inflation from 200 percent to about 32 percent — but at a heavy social cost that the pope's speech put squarely on the agenda.

Leo spoke out in defence of the poor and pensioners, and told Milei that strengthening democracy required leaders to listen. The pontiff's rapport with the austerity champion will be closely watched during the visit, which continues with stops in Brazil and Chile, where economic inequality and social unrest remain pressing issues.

A visit heavy with symbolism

The Buenos Aires stop carries weight beyond the speech. Leo is the first pope to visit the home country of the late Pope Francis in nearly four decades — Francis never returned home during his 12-year pontificate. Leo, 71, arrived in Argentina three weeks after surgery for lung cancer, on the second leg of a 12-day tour that began in Uruguay and will continue to Brazil and Chile.

Milei greeted Leo at the foot of his plane, and the two leaders met privately before addressing officials together. The pope's message was unmistakable: economic success that leaves the poor behind is not success at all — and in a country where nearly a third of people live in poverty, that message landed with force.