Pope Leon XIV Addresses Economic Pain

Pope Leon XIV told residents of a Buenos Aires care center that a nation’s progress is measured by how it treats people with disabilities. He made the statement on November 9 during his second day in Argentina, where he is visiting institutions that serve the most marginalized members of society.

The pope visited the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a facility located 28 kilometers south of the capital. He spoke in the chapel after listening to the stories of two women who have lived there for decades. He described their lives as a blessing rather than a burden to society. He said their presence helps others remember the foundation of human dignity.

Earlier in the day, the pope met with five survivors of clerical abuse at the Catholic University of Argentina. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said the meeting lasted about an hour. The pope listened to their painful accounts and their suggestions for healing within the church. He expressed a desire to strengthen protection and support mechanisms for victims.

The visit highlights the financial strain on institutions like the Cottolengo. President Javier Milei’s austerity policies have delayed payments to service providers for people with disabilities. In March, the center reported a severe economic crisis that threatened its ability to continue operations. The pope acknowledged the difficult conditions faced by families, citing precarious work, domestic violence, and addiction.

Later, Leon XIV celebrated mass near the Spanish Monument in Buenos Aires. The Vatican reported that 2.5 million people attended the service. That figure marks the largest crowd for a papal mass abroad on record. During his homily, he urged Argentine families to take an active role in evangelization. He asked them to support bishops, priests, and catechists in their mission.

Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva of Buenos Aires called the pope’s message a balm for families. He listed economic problems, domestic violence, and youth addiction as major sources of pain. President Milei sat in the front row during the ceremony. The crowd, which included many families, waved flags of Argentina and the Vatican as the pope arrived by papemobile.

The emotional atmosphere was heightened by the presence of Pope Francis’s legacy. A video of Francis’s papacy played on large screens, prompting applause and chants from the crowd. Santiago Videla, a 65-year-old attendee, suggested that Francis might not have returned to the country because of his perceived political ties to the center-left. He believed that would have split the crowd between supporters and opponents.

Susana Beatriz Duarte, a housewife waiting at the Cottolengo, told reporters that the pope’s visit to this neglected district was important. She said the main message was respect among brothers to achieve greater unity. She hoped the pope’s words would be heard by the government regarding people excluded by fiscal adjustment policies.

Isabel Martín, 73, held helium heart-shaped balloons to keep her parish group together. She prayed for the pope to touch the president’s heart. She noted that the minimum pension in Argentina is about 300 dollars, which is four times less than what an elderly person needs for basic living costs. She believed the pope’s clear message was that the weakest should not bear the weight of economic adjustment.

At the Cottolengo, the pope also visited the chapel where the heart of the center’s founder, Luis Orione, has been kept since 2000. He heard the testimony of Norma Donato, who has lived there for 44 years. She described feeling like a burden in her new family after her mother died and her father remarried. She found acceptance at the center. The pope gave her a rosary and told another resident, Marta Torres, that her life is a miracle from God.