The following is a slightly edited version of the simultaneous English interpretation of the remarks delivered in Spanish by Sara Madueño to the 180th meeting of the International Peace Coalition, on Nov. 13, 2026. Mrs. Madueño is EIR’s bureau chief in Lima, Peru.

The visit of the Pope to Peru is occurring in the context of the visit that the Pope is making to three countries in South America. These visits are also occurring in the context of a global political scenario, where we see a defeated Trump, a defeated Netanyahu, and a victorious Lula. It occurs at a time when the United States is trying to make South America its next victim with its policy of the Shield of the Americas. We’ll see how that turns out. The Pope has sent a message: Hold on a second; it’s not going to be so easy to do that.

The visit of Leo XIV, I think, is going to have effects and repercussions that are unsuspected right now, not only because of the hope and the courage which he has transmitted to the population; not only because he has transmitted the idea of defending their rights; but also because he has addressed a population which has been very much relegated to the backstage of the world situation, and subjected to ongoing destabilizations that affect their future. So I think the repercussions are going to be really great, not only in the Americas, in the West in general, but also beyond that internationally. We’ll see what these are going to be.

It is most interesting that the Pope’s choice of the three countries he visited in South America was not arbitrary. He chose them in a way such that the choice itself sends a message. The three together, and each of them separately, represent the social scenarios, the political situations which the different countries of South America are facing. Let’s start with Uruguay.

Uruguay and Argentina

Uruguay is a small country which is generally considered to be a secular country. It has a population of 3.5 million, and only 20% of the population are self-professed Catholics. As a secular nation, they have legalized euthanasia and abortion. So the Pope arrived in Uruguay, and his message was very targeted to the nature of the country and its situation. He focused on talking about the importance of the dignity of human life; the importance, he told the youth, of the fact that the human being is not only a body, but is above all a soul, and that men and women are not objects.

In that context, he talked about the importance of education, that we have to be very careful with the use of artificial intelligence, and he also referred to his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, where he said that people come before algorithms. His speeches, his sermons, also addressed the importance of the family. And he said that war is the most horrible thing that the world is currently going through.

Various commentators have noted that the Pope’s visit to Uruguay was a watershed: there is a “before” and an “after” in that country.

After that, Pope Leo went to Argentina. Argentina has a population of 46 million, and 57% of them are self-professed Catholics.

It is a country that in the past was a highly developed country, a country that had among the highest per capita incomes in the world. But with its current president, who is an ultra-liberal nutcase, a friend of Netanyahu and Trump who has terrible policies, Argentina has devolved and is a shattered country with an unprecedented economic crisis. That same president Milei, who now hypocritically welcomes Pope Leo, the same president Milei referred to the prior pope, the Argentine Pope Francis, as “the representative of Satan on Earth.”

Before departing, Pope Leo made it clear he was going to visit the people of Argentina. Of course, there was protocol, ceremonies and so on with authorities.

In Argentina today, according to official statistics, 32-33% of the population is poor, and the percentages are higher for youth. This is a country that once was really highly developed. So in the meeting that the Pope had with Milei, he very intelligently took advantage of the opportunity and he delivered a much-needed shellacking.

This led the Argentine people to go out into the streets with hope for the future, after so many years. They have hope because they realize that the Pope has opened up people’s consciences. He has displayed infinite love towards the country.

So, in his conversation with Milei, the Pope immediately addressed Argentina’s problems and said that the key problem is the economy. The economy, first and foremost, has to be at the service of men and the common good, not the other way around, not that the men should serve the economy. The Pope wasn’t sarcastic; he was very direct; he spoke simply. There are Argentines who have lost wages; there are handicapped people who have had their income cut. and the Pope said that these layers are the priority of any government that claims to be a government.

He then referred to some things that you might consider superfluous, but they are actually important, given Milei’s personality and his insulting behavior with the Argentine people. The Pope said the authorities must treat people properly every day, and they need to be careful what words they use. They must be prudent, and they must recognize the limits of power.

The Pope also spoke of the fact that Argentina is a country that is very rich in natural resources, but it is also a country that is rich in human capabilities.

And in that regard, he spoke of the importance of education, of universities, of research, and he called for Argentina to return to its course. He said that emigration is often the fault of those in government, because talent is fleeing, there is a brain drain as people are forced to look for jobs in other countries.

An Ecumenical Call in Argentina

In the final analysis, the Pope issued a call to rationality, which Milei is clearly lacking, but which the people are capable of, and he urged them to set aside ideological differences, and reach agreements that are of great importance to be able to change the world.

The Pope’s message, without going into the details, was really very strong. The Argentine media say that he really hit Milei hard. And as you know, the Pope is a very warm person, very personable, and he said it all with his kind approach, as a shepherd of the people.

Pope Leo also referred to the recent peace meeting in Assisi, Italy with different religious leaders. There were Christians, there were evangelicals, there were Catholics, Orthodox, Jews—it was an ecumenical meeting, almost like a service but with different religions present. In Argentina he also held a meeting with representatives of the different faiths which exist in Argentina, and he told them: We agree that we must preserve human dignity. We agree that it’s necessary to search for justice and peace. Love of human beings is the link which exists across the generations. My call to you, he said, is that we should have a constructive dialogue to be able to build a better future for Argentina. It was really very tender.