Pope Leo XIV welcomes Argentine President Milei to Vatican

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Pope Leo XIV on Saturday welcomed Argentina's President Javier Milei to the Vatican, which released an official statement calling the meeting "cordial."

After his exchange with Leo, Milei held talks with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and a diplomatic team.

The Vatican statement said issues of "common interest," were discussed during Saturday's visit, "such as socioeconomic progress, the fight against poverty, and the commitment to social cohesion, in addition to addressing ongoing conflicts" and global peace efforts.

Milei's office released an excited statement on social media after the meeting as well, announcing, "The Pope confirmed to the President that he will visit Argentina."

Argentine media sources suggest such a trip could take place as soon as next year as part of a South American tour that could include stops in Uruguay and Peru, where Leo lived and worked for nearly 20 years.

Can Milei navigate a turnaround in relations with Vatican?

A brash libertarian populist with a fawning affinity for Donald Trump, Milei had a tense relationship with Leo's predecessor Pope Francis, an Argentine who never returned home during his 12-year papacy.

Though Francis never publicly called out Milei, he indirectly criticized police heavy-handedness in the mistreatment of Argentine retirees protesting for better pensions in 2024, saying, "instead of paying for social justice, they paid for pepper spray."

Milei, who launched rabid online tirades against Francis, went so far as to defame him as "an imbecile" and far worse in expletive-laden posts, even equating him with the Antichrist.

Why has Milei stirred controversy?

Milei has implemented radical austerity measures in his effort to slow inflation and lower poverty levels. His radical free-market approach runs counter to Catholic social teachings that expect the state to care for those of its citizens finding themselves in need.

Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Ignacio Garcia Cuerva — whom Leo also welcomed to the Vatican on Saturday — has accused Milei of lacking empathy, saying he "has no social thermometer" nor understanding for the pain of simple Argentines.

Milei's trip to the Vatican followed a Friday meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at which the two allies signed an agreement between their respective partially state-owned energy companies ENI and YPF.