Pope Leo XIV received Argentina’s President Javier Milei at the Vatican on Saturday in what was officially described as a “cordial” encounter. The meeting marks a notable moment in the relationship between the Vatican and the Argentine government, as diplomatic ties appear to be warming after years of tension.
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Following his audience with the Pope, President Milei also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, alongside members of the Holy See’s diplomatic delegation.
According to a statement issued by the Vatican, discussions focused on areas of “common interest”, including socioeconomic development, the fight against poverty, the promotion of social cohesion, and efforts towards global peace, particularly in the context of ongoing international conflicts.
Milei’s office also released a statement on social media shortly after the meeting, emphasising its positive tone and revealing that “the Pope confirmed to the President that he will visit Argentina”.
Argentine media have speculated that the papal visit could take place as early as next year, potentially as part of a wider South American tour that may include stops in Uruguay and Peru. Pope Leo previously spent nearly two decades living and working in Peru.
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President Milei, a self-described libertarian with a penchant for populist rhetoric and a known admiration for former US President Donald Trump, has had a historically strained relationship with the Vatican — particularly under Pope Francis, Leo’s predecessor and fellow Argentine. Francis, notably, never returned to Argentina during his twelve years as pontiff.
Although Pope Francis never directly criticised Milei, he condemned state repression in veiled terms following the heavy-handed police response to pension protests in 2024. “Instead of paying for social justice, they paid for pepper spray,” the pontiff remarked at the time.
Milei, for his part, has in the past directed fierce verbal attacks towards Francis, branding him “an imbecile” and, in more inflammatory comments, likening him to the Antichrist. These remarks were widely condemned and served to deepen the rift between the Argentine government and the Vatican.
Milei’s leadership has been marked by sweeping austerity measures, part of his broader attempt to combat inflation and reduce poverty through a radical free-market agenda. His policies, however, clash with the Catholic Church’s longstanding doctrine of social responsibility and state protection for the vulnerable.
On the same day as Milei’s meeting with Pope Leo, the Vatican also hosted Archbishop Jorge Ignacio García Cuerva of Buenos Aires. Archbishop García Cuerva has previously criticised the president for what he described as a lack of empathy and an inability to understand the suffering of ordinary Argentines, stating that Milei “has no social thermometer”.
President Milei’s European visit also included a meeting in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday. The two leaders, known for their ideological alignment, witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement between their respective partially state-owned energy firms — Italy’s ENI and Argentina’s YPF.
As Milei seeks to reshape Argentina’s international alliances and economic standing, his visit to the Vatican could signal a strategic shift — or at least a thaw — in his once-combative posture towards the Catholic Church. Whether this detente holds remains to be seen.
