Pope Leo XIV said Monday that Argentina’s progress depends in part on welcoming people with disabilities, bringing a message of inclusion to a care residence amid debate over state support.
Leo visited Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione de Claypole on Nov. 9, addressing the home’s residents and staff, the Holy See Press Office said. He said, “A nation’s progress is also measured by how it welcomes all people with disabilities and particular needs.” The published address did not mention President Javier Milei or his government.
The center’s website says it houses 415 people with disabilities and dates its cornerstone to April 28, 1935. Leo told residents that their lives were “not a burden on society” but “a blessing.”
The Holy See transcript also refers to Pope John Paul II’s 1980 Angelus remarks to people with disabilities. EconoTimes previously reported on the planned visit and disability-benefit debate.
Argentina’s policy backdrop includes Law 27,793. Congress reaffirmed the measure after Milei vetoed it in 2025, a sequence recorded in the Official Gazette. The law declared a national disability emergency through Dec. 31, 2026, with an option to extend it for one year. It also provides for emergency compensation to service providers from the national Treasury.
Decree 534/2025 cited projected public spending and fiscal balance as the administration’s reasons for the veto. Decree 84/2026 approved regulations for the law in February 2026.
Separately, the Chamber of Deputies reported a 237-9-4 vote on Oct. 21 to advance a bill establishing a permanent disability system.
