Pope visits care home in Argentina for people with disabilities, renewing call to protect the vulnerable

Pope Leo XIV visited a care home for people with disabilities near Buenos Aires, urging Argentina to put vulnerable people at the centre of its priorities. The visit carried added significance as a public challenge to President Javier Milei’s austerity measures, which have affected healthcare, social services and disability support.

The Cottolengo Don Orione home was founded in 1935 and houses more than 400 people across 50 hectares. Argentina has an estimated five million people with disabilities, while care homes are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars; the government has resisted implementing a funding law passed after Congress overrode Milei’s veto. The Senate is due to consider disability funding for next year’s budget, which Milei opposes.