Follow-Up: Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Argentina and Gives First Speech: The Economy Must Serve the Person, Leaders Must Safeguard Democracy
BUENOS AIRES — Pope Leo XIV flew in from Uruguay on the afternoon of November 8 to begin a four-day visit to Argentina, and in his first public speech that evening told the country's leaders that the economy must serve the person, not the person the economy. He also urged those who exercise authority to safeguard democracy, to act with prudence and to use words carefully.
According to the Associated Press, the pope's plane landed at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery airport, where President Javier Milei welcomed him. The two then met privately at the Casa Rosada presidential palace, and Buenos Aires mayor Jorge Macri presented the pope with the keys to the city. Accompanied by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, the pope paid tribute at the monument to independence hero General José de San Martín in Plaza San Martín, before addressing authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Palacio Libertad.
In the speech, the pope said those who exercise authority have a duty to act with prudence and to acknowledge the limits of the power entrusted to them, and he called for a gentler politics in deeply polarised Argentina. In his welcome remarks, Milei called the late Pope Francis the most important Argentine in history, and said he hoped the visit would strengthen the faith, renew hope and bring a message of peace to all Argentines.
It is the first papal visit to Argentina since John Paul II came in 1987; Francis, who was born in Buenos Aires, never returned home during his 12-year pontificate. Leo XIV remains in Argentina until November 11: on November 9 he visits a care centre for people with disabilities in Claypole and celebrates Mass, and on November 11 he celebrates Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján before flying on to Peru.
(Source: Associated Press)
Source: Associated Press
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：教宗良十四世（资料图，2025年5月接见传媒时）。Edgar Beltrán／The Pillar 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本站档案图复用。 / Photo: Pope Leo XIV (file photo, at a media audience in May 2025). By Edgar Beltrán/The Pillar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; GSM archive reuse.
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- 2026-11-08Follow-Up: Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Argentina and Gives First Speech: The Economy Must Serve the Person, Leaders Must Safeguard DemocracyThis story
