Pope Leo draws 2.5 million to Buenos Aires Mass while pressing disability funding fight
The pontiff visited a care home Monday to claim $535,000 in unpaid bills for residents, setting the stage for a national holiday Mass that drew a record crowd.
By Tomas Gonzalez ·
An estimated 2.5 million people gathered in Buenos Aires on Monday for a Mass that marks the largest liturgical turnout for Pope Leo XIV to date. The Vatican confirmed the figure for the service held at the Monumento a los Españoles, a site that last hosted a papal Mass during the visit of St. John Paul II nearly 40 years ago. The event concluded a day that began with a targeted visit to a care home for people with disabilities.
Leo’s morning visit to the Cottolengo Don Orione in Claypole served as a direct challenge to President Javier Milei’s austerity policies. The institution, founded in 1935, houses more than 400 people with disabilities on 123 acres of land. Milei’s administration has frozen payments and dismantled therapy programs, leaving the center and similar facilities owing hundreds of thousands of dollars for basic supplies.
The financial pressure yielded results just days before Leo’s arrival. Fernando Montero, who oversees the home’s disability services, stated that the government paid approximately 828 million pesos, or roughly $535,000, for medications, diapers, and food. That payment covers about four months of needs at the facility. Leo embraced residents in wheelchairs during his visit and told them their lives were a blessing rather than a burden.
The visit coincides with a legislative battle in the Argentine Senate, which is scheduled to consider legislation for disability benefits in the next budget. Milei opposes the measure, arguing it threatens fiscal balance. The president and his sister, Karina Milei, sat in VIP seats during the afternoon Mass. In his homily, Leo addressed the struggles of Argentine families facing joblessness and violence, urging them not to accept the Christian family as outdated.
The economic context for the visit remains tense. Argentina’s minimum pension sits at approximately $300, a sum that covers only about a quarter of the costs for medicine, housing, and food for older adults. Isabel Martín, 73, who attended with her parish group, said she was praying for the pope to influence the president’s stance on spending cuts. The administration maintained a defensive posture, with Cabinet chief Diego Santilli stating that the pope’s comments aligned with their work rather than criticizing it.
