Pope Leo XIV told Argentine officials in Buenos Aires on Sunday that the economy must be at the service of the people rather than people serving the economy, Deutsche Welle reported³.

Al Jazeera said he spoke alongside President Javier Milei and urged Argentina to protect democracy, saying leaders should recognize the limits of power and act for the common good².

The stop is the second leg of a 12-day trip that began in Uruguay and is due to continue to Peru on Wednesday, the first papal visit to Argentina in nearly 40 years, DW said³.

DW said the remarks were watched for criticism of Milei’s spending cuts, but that Leo did not address government policies by name³.

He pointed to people who work hard yet struggle to meet household needs, DW reported³.

Milei, whose cuts have drawn criticism from parts of Argentina’s Catholic Church, has defended them as needed to stabilize the economy and curb inflation, which DW said has fallen from more than 200 percent to about 33 percent³.

On Sunday Milei struck a conciliatory note about the late Pope Francis, calling him an exceptional figure and the most important Argentine in history, DW reported³.

The 71-year-old pontiff had surgery on Oct. 13 to remove a cancerous lung tumor; the Buenos Aires Times, citing AFP, said doctors cleared him to travel and the Vatican said no special medical measures were required beyond standard papal-trip care^1,3.