{
  "id": 19062023,
  "title": "Pope Leo urges Argentina's Milei to put people before the economy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/09/pope-leo-urges-argentinas-milei-to-put-people-before-the-economy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-09T01:35:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW English (Top Stories)",
    "slug": "dw-english-top-stories",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/pope-leo-urges-argentina-s-milei-to-put-people-before-the-economy/a-79894779?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-xml-mrss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday, urging the country's leaders to prioritize the needs of ordinary citizens over the economy. While the pope did not directly criticize President Javier Milei's austerity measures, he emphasized that \"the economy must be at the service of the people.\" Milei's policies have drawn harsh criticism from Argentina's Catholic Church, particularly cuts to social services, pensions, and public universities. Despite inflation falling from over 200% to around 33% under Milei's administration, households continue to struggle financially. Milei, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has defended his spending cuts as necessary to stabilize the economy. He previously dismissed Pope Francis as an \"imbecile\" but later softened his tone and met with the pontiff in Rome. Pope Leo's visit to Buenos Aires marks the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly 40 years and is part of a broader tour of South America. The Pope stressed the importance of safeguarding democracy and urged leaders to act prudently for the benefit of the entire community. This visit comes ahead of Argentina's 2027 presidential election, in which Milei has indicated he will seek another term.",
  "summary": "Pope Leo XIV has urged Argentina to protect democracy and ensure economic growth benefits the poor, delivering a message to President Javier Milei over austerity, social welfare and political divisions.",
  "key_points": [
    "Pope Leo XIV urges Argentina's leaders to prioritize people over economy.",
    "President Milei's austerity measures criticized by Catholic Church.",
    "Milei defends spending cuts as necessary for economic stability."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Pope’s direct appeal to prioritize citizens over fiscal stability intensifies the ongoing friction between the Catholic Church and the administration’s austerity-driven approach to governing Argentina.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}