On a Monday in Buenos Aires, a crowd estimated at 2.5 million gathered along the city's great avenue and in the open fields near the monument where another pope once said Argentina's last mass in 1987, as Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, brought his message to a nation weighing its priorities. Earlier he had stood among residents with disabilities at a care home in Claypole, where more than 400 people live under strain from government cuts, and told them that their lives are a blessing and that a nation's progress is measured by how it welcomes the most vulnerable. The w
Pope Leo Draws 2.5 Million in Buenos Aires as He Warns Milei Over Disability Cuts
Residents with disabilities at a Buenos Aires-area care home and their families face strain from government cuts to health care and social services.
A nation's progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people
Mark
Why does this mass matter beyond the crowd size?
Mimi
Because the pope paired it with a visit to a care home in Claypole, where more than 400 people with disabilities live, and told them their lives are a blessing, not a burden.
Mark
And Milei was in the crowd?
Mimi
He and his sister Karina were both at the mass. Milei was also at the Sunday reception where Leo asked that growth reach those struggling most.
Luke
Let's be careful on the number. The 2.5 million figure comes from local authorities, and it's an estimate, not an independent count.
Mark
Fair. What's actually documented about the cuts?
Mimi
The report says the government has cut disability services and resisted implementing a funding law, even after Congress overrode Milei's 2025 veto.
Luke
Notably, Leo's remarks as reported don't name Milei or any specific policy. The link to the cuts is the context around his words, not something he stated outright.
Mark
What comes next?
Mimi
The Senate is due to consider next year's disability funding in the coming days, and the pope heads to Peru on Wednesday.
Luke
Whether the visit changes any votes is unknown. Nothing in the reporting says it will.
El Pulso
- An estimated 2.5 million people flooded Buenos Aires for the pope's mass, the largest crowd of his papacy so far, with people camping overnight to secure a place.
- Pope Leo stood before the residents of a Claypole care center housing over 400 people with disabilities, a home already struggling under cuts to health and social services.
- Pope Leo openly challenged President Milei's austerity, urging that economic growth serve those facing the greatest difficulties and that leaders recognize the limits of their power.
- The Senate is poised to take up next year's disability funding within days, after Congress overrode Milei's 2025 veto of a care funding law the government has resisted implementing.
- Families of residents with disabilities are caught in the strain, and the pope's visit now presses the government to show whether its words and its budget will match.
On a Monday in Buenos Aires, a crowd estimated at 2.5 million gathered along the city's great avenue and in the open fields near the monument where another pope once said Argentina's last mass in 1987, as Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, brought his message to a nation weighing its priorities. Earlier he had stood among residents with disabilities at a care home in Claypole, where more than 400 people live under strain from government cuts, and told them that their lives are a blessing and that a nation's progress is measured by how it welcomes the most vulnerable. The words reach a country led by a president who has resisted a funding law Congress already passed over his veto, and they will be tested in the Senate within days. It is a moment in which faith and the ledger of public life meet face to face.
On Monday the avenues of Buenos Aires filled with people waving Vatican flags and chanting for Pope Leo XIV as he passed in an open-top popemobile. Local authorities estimated 2.5 million attended his open-air mass, the largest gathering of his papacy so far. Some had camped overnight near the monument where John Paul II said Argentina's last papal mass in 1987, and the government declared the day a national holiday. President Javier Milei and his sister Karina were among those present.
Before the mass, Leo visited the Cottolengo Don Orione care center in Claypole, home to more than 400 people with disabilities. Residents and staff are struggling with cuts to health care and social services. Leo told them their lives are a blessing, not a burden, and said a nation's progress is measured by how it welcomes people with disabilities and particular needs. The day before, at a reception Milei attended, he had asked that economic growth benefit those facing the greatest difficulties.
The political stakes are concrete. Since Milei took office, his government has cut disability services and resisted a care funding law that Congress passed over his veto in 2025. The Senate will consider next year's disability funding in the coming days, a test of how far the pope's words will carry against the budget.
Along Avenida del Libertador in Buenos Aires on Monday, the crowd ran for miles. People waved Vatican flags and chanted "Long live Pope Leo!" as the US-born pontiff passed in an open-top popemobile. Local authorities estimated that 2.5 million people attended his open-air mass, the largest gathering of his papacy so far.
Some worshippers had camped overnight to get a place near the Monumento a los Espanoles, the site where Pope John Paul II celebrated Argentina's last papal mass in 1987. The government declared Monday a national holiday so people could attend. President Javier Milei and his sister Karina were among those present. In his sermon, Leo told the crowd, "It fills my heart with joy to celebrate... with you." He spoke of families facing unstable employment, violence and addiction, and described them as a pillar of society.
Earlier in the day, before the mass, Leo had gone to the Cottolengo Don Orione care center in Claypole, south of the capital. The center houses more than 400 people with disabilities, and it is struggling with the government's cuts to health care and social services. Leo told residents that their lives were a blessing rather than a burden. He also challenged the idea that economic success alone measures what a country achieves. "A nation's progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs," he said.
The visit built on an appeal he made on Sunday at a reception attended by Milei, when he asked that economic growth benefit those facing the greatest difficulties. He also urged leaders to choose their words carefully and to recognize the limits of their power.
The political backdrop is specific. Milei took office about three years ago. Since then his government has cut disability services and has resisted implementing a law that increases funding for care, even though Congress overrode his veto of that law in 2025. The Senate is due to consider next year's disability funding in the coming days.
The trip is historic in its own right. It is the first visit by a pope to Argentina in nearly four decades. Leo's predecessor, Francis, was born in Argentina but never returned to his homeland during his papacy.
Leo is 71. He visited Uruguay before arriving in Argentina on Sunday. On Wednesday he is due to travel to Peru, where he spent decades as a missionary and bishop; the Vatican has described the South American tour as a "homecoming." He is due back in Rome on November 17. The demanding schedule comes less than a month after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung.
The next marker is the Senate's consideration of next year's disability funding, expected within days, which will show how much the pope's words weigh against the government's cuts.
Citas Notables
A nation's progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs.— Pope Leo XIV
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