On Monday the pontiff began his Argentine tour at Cottolengo Don Orione, a care centre in Claypole, south of Buenos Aires. The visit marked his first full day in the country and coincided with a meeting scheduled at the Catholic University of Argentina with business leaders, trade‑union representatives and popular movements.
Founded in 1935 by Italian priest Luigi Orione, Cottolengo houses more than 400 people with disabilities on a 50‑hectare site that is popularly called the ‘city of charity’. The institution has seen its health and social‑service funding slashed by the austerity measures introduced by President Javier Milei’s government.
During the tour the Pope embraced residents in wheelchairs, spoke with them and gave his blessing, prompting several workers and residents to weep. He told the gathered crowd that their lives are a blessing, not a burden, and urged that “the progress of a nation is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs”.
In the centre’s chapel Leo XIV defended the dignity of every person and called for solidarity to be restored against a “cult of appearances” and a relentless pursuit of economic success. His message carries particular weight as relations between the Argentine state and disability organisations have grown tense.
Last year Congress overturned Milei’s veto of a law intended to increase funding for the disability sector, but the executive has so far resisted implementation, arguing that it could jeopardise the fiscal balance the government claims to have achieved. As a result, Cottolengo and similar centres face debts running into hundreds of thousands of euros.
The austerity drive has also undermined specialised therapy programmes that for decades have been essential for the estimated five million people with disabilities living in Argentina. Those programmes are now at risk of being discontinued under the current adjustment measures.
A Senate debate on a draft bill that would earmark funds for disability benefits in next year’s budget is scheduled for a few days after the papal visit, a proposal that President Milei openly opposes. Leo XIV’s appeal therefore arrives at a critical legislative moment.
Volunteer Kuyen Rolon Rey praised the Pope’s choice of Cottolengo, saying “the people here deserve this grace” and noting that the centre may be small in size but is “big in the love it represents”.
At the Catholic University meeting, the Pope reiterated the central tenet of Catholic social teaching that the weakest must be placed at the heart of economic decisions – a theme reminiscent of his predecessor, Argentine‑born Pope Francis. In his first speech in the country, delivered in the presence of Milei, Leo XIV reminded listeners that “money must be at the service of people and not the other way round”. The gathering also included representatives of national manufacturers, who have complained about low‑priced imports following Milei’s removal of long‑standing trade restrictions, and members of the main Argentine trade‑union confederation, who warned the Vatican in September about job losses and falling wages. Since taking office at the end of 2023, Milei has pursued a broad austerity programme that he frames as a fight against fraud and unnecessary spending, positioning himself as a leading figure in the international conservative backlash against the liberal establishment.
Source: Euronews. Read the original report ↗