Pope Leo XIV delivered a sharp critique of President Javier Milei's austerity measures in Buenos Aires on Sunday, insisting that economic growth must benefit all and that democracy requires leaders to listen.

The pontiff arrived in Argentina from Uruguay on Sunday for the first papal visit to the home country of the late Pope Francis in nearly four decades. Milei greeted Leo at the foot of his plane, and the two leaders met privately at the Casa Rosada presidential palace before addressing officials at the Palacio Libertad cultural center.

In his speech, Leo declared that "the economy must be at the service of the people, rather than people being at the service of the economy." He stressed that growth must reach those with greater difficulties, including families facing uncertainty, job seekers and the elderly, as well as those who work but struggle to meet household needs. He told Milei, known for his combative rhetoric, that strengthening democracy requires a "willingness to listen" and the "careful use of words," and that leaders must recognize the "limits of power" entrusted to them.

Milei came to office in 2023 promising to shrink the welfare state through "chainsaw" cuts to public hospitals, universities and pensions. The poverty rate has risen to 32.3 percent since he took power, according to official statistics. The local Catholic Church has criticized the president for treating social services solely as a budgetary constraint, and Milei has also been criticized for restricting democratic freedoms, including the right to protest.

Milei responded by defending freedom, life and private property as Christian values enshrined in the Bible. He called Francis the "most important Argentine in history" despite having previously called him an "imbecile" during the campaign. He said his government would continue working according to the moral compass the Church has guarded for years.

The visit marks the first by a pontiff to Argentina since 1987, when John Paul II traveled there. Leo, 71, is on a 12-day tour of Latin America just three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer. Some 57.7 percent of Argentines identified as Catholic in a recent University of Buenos Aires poll, down from around 90 percent in the 1960s.

Argentines hope the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics will help unite the country, which is divided between Milei's supporters and opponents. "Just like the World Cup unites us, hopefully the pope will too," said Liliana Deblauwe, a 68-year-old retired teacher. Susana Arauz, a 75-year-old retired lawyer, said she hoped the pope would "take a stand" against a "despotic government that mistreats the vulnerable."

Leo will visit a home for disabled people on Monday, a significant choice given the government's cuts to disability assistance, and will also visit a prison and celebrate three open-air masses. The Church expects seven million faithful to attend events over the four-day visit.