Pope Leo XIV praises charity Argentine bishops say is imperiled by government funding shortfalls

CLAYPOLE, Argentina — Pope Leo XIV on Monday praised the work of a care home for disabled people that Argentina’s Catholic bishops have said is imperiled by the austerity policies of President Javier Milei.

“The values of dignity, belonging, and fraternal friendship that distinguish places like this have much to say to our societies, which are often driven solely by the pursuit of economic success or the cult of outward appearance,” Leo said to assembled residents and caregivers at the home, located in a lower-income suburb south of Buenos Aires.

“A nation’s progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs,” the pope said.

The Don Orione Little Cottolengo of Claypole was founded in 1935 by the Italian priest St. Luigi Orione. In April of this year, leaders of Argentina’s bishops’ conference cited the Don Orione Cottolengo network, whose flagship is the Claypole center, as an example of an “extremely serious financial crisis” facing institutions that serve people with disabilities because of “delays and shortfalls in state funding.”

Elected in 2023, President Javier Milei has defended cuts to social spending as part of his strategy to curb rampant inflation, which has fallen sharply.

Leo’s remarks at the center did not mention the issue of government funding, but he encouraged volunteerism and charitable efforts to help those in need.

The pope said he hoped “that Argentina may be capable of performing great works of charity, such as we see here, where the love of Christ triumphs over individualism and exclusion. I dream of thousands of young people volunteering … I dream that a new generation of saints devoted to charity might be forged in Argentina!”

Before his speech, Leo prayed briefly before the heart of St. Luigi Orione, which is held in a reliquary in the chapel where he spoke.

Then he heard testimonies from two residents of the center, including Marta Griselda Torres, who was born with cerebral palsy and abandoned as an infant by her mother before eventually coming to Claypole. The pope was moved to tears as she spoke.

“For me, the Cottolengo was a beacon that lit up my life. It was not just a place to live, but a place where I was welcomed, given a home, and loved,” Torres said.