Pope Leo heads to Milei's Argentina as tensions loom over austerity, Iran

AI Summary

Pope Leo is traveling to Argentina, where he is expected to deliver a closely watched address to President Javier Milei. The visit comes amid tensions over Milei's austerity policies, which the Church says burden the poor, and his support for the Iran war, which the pope has criticized.

By Leila Miller and Joshua McElwee MONTEVIDEO, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Pope Leo heads on Sunday to Argentina on the second leg of a 12-day tour across South America, where the first US-born pope will give a closely watched speech to Argentine President Javier Milei, a libertarian seen as a close ally of Donald Trump. The address may underscore tensions between the Vatican and Milei, whose austerity agenda has been criticized by the Church for hitting the poorest most and who has strongly supported the Iran war, which Leo has criticized to Trump's ire.