Pope Leo XIV arrived at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, greeted by Argentine President Javier Milei during the second leg of his South American tour, ansa.it reported.
The arrival marks the first papal visit to the South American nation in nearly forty years. The last trip by a pontiff occurred in 1987 under John Paul II.
The itinerary includes a private, face-to-face meeting between the pontiff and Milei, an ultralibertarian leader who has repeatedly questioned welfare and environmental policies.
Ahead of the arrival, anonymous posters appeared across Buenos Aires featuring a double-edged slogan that plays on the pontiff’s name and the president’s political emblem, ansa.it reported. The posters read, “Finally, a lion that unites.”
Security forces arrested a 49-year-old man in Pilar, a town located 50 kilometers from Buenos Aires, following intelligence operations that included network monitoring and wiretaps, ansa.it reported. The suspect faces accusations of issuing death threats against the Pope ahead of the journey.
Prior to crossing into Argentina, Pope Leo XIV celebrated mass in Florida, Uruguay, addressing roughly 50,000 attendees and pointing to the historic sanctuary of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three. During his final hours in Uruguay, the pontiff addressed the shooting in Kraków, Poland, stating that he felt “deeply saddened” by the violence that left six people dead and offering his condolences to the affected community, according to ansa.it.
In parallel remarks, the pontiff emphasized that the political community must exist in function of the common good, according to notiziegeopolitiche.net. Citing the pastoral constitution Gaudium et spes, notiziegeopolitiche.net reported that the Pope warned that unmitigated economic imbalances and environmental degradation pose direct threats to international stability.
“The war is a failure of politics and humanity, a shameful surrender, a defeat in the face of the forces of evil,” Pope Leo XIV stated, as cited by notiziegeopolitiche.net, while calling for a just and enduring peace in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
The Argentine leg of the itinerary continues with scheduled stops involving individuals with disabilities at Cottolengo and an appearance at Devoto prison in Buenos Aires.
Earlier coverage: Pope Leo XIV Arrives in Uruguay for South American Tour
