Pope Leo draws 2.5 million in Buenos Aires, renews warning over Milei's austerity

An estimated 2.5 million people attended Pope Leo XIV's open-air mass in Buenos Aires on Monday, according to local authorities, making the event the largest gathering of his papacy so far.

Crowds stretched for miles along Avenida del Libertador in Argentina's capital, with the faithful waving Vatican flags and chanting "Long live Pope Leo!" as the US-born pope passed in an open-top popemobile.

"It fills my heart with joy to celebrate... with you," Leo said in his sermon.

The pope also reinforced an appeal to President Javier Milei to protect vulnerable Argentines, visiting a disability care home struggling with the government's cuts to health care and social services.

Before the mass, Leo visited the Cottolengo Don Orione care center in Claypole, south of Buenos Aires, which houses more than 400 people with disabilities.

He told residents their lives were a blessing rather than a burden, and challenged the idea that economic success alone measures a country's achievements.

"A nation's progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs," he said.

The remarks followed his appeal Sunday, at a reception attended by Milei, for economic growth to benefit people facing the greatest difficulties. He also urged leaders to choose their words carefully and recognize the limits of their power.

Milei became the president of Argentina some three years ago, Since then, his government has cut disability services and resisted implementing a law increasing funding for care, despite Congress overriding Milei's veto in 2025. The Senate is due to consider next year's disability funding in the coming days.

Some worshippers camped overnight to secure a place near the Monumento a los Espanoles, where Pope John Paul II celebrated Argentina's last papal mass in 1987.

Monday was declared a national holiday to allow people to attend. President Milei and his sister Karina were among those present.

In his sermon, Leo spoke of families facing unstable employment, violence and addiction, while describing them as a pillar of society.

The visit is Argentina's first by a pope in nearly four decades. Leo's predecessor Francis, despite being born in Argentina, never returned to his homeland during his papacy.

Leo, 71, visited Uruguay before arriving in Argentina on Sunday. He is due to travel to Peru on Wednesday and return to Rome on November 17.

The first US-born pope spent decades in Peru as a missionary and bishop. The Vatican has described his South American tour as a "homecoming."

The demanding trip comes less than a month after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung.