Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) - Pope Leo XIV landed in Argentina on Sunday on the second leg of his South American tour, which includes a highly-anticipated meeting with austerity champion President Javier Milei.

The visit is the first by a pontiff to the home country of the late pope Francis in nearly four decades.

Milei, who famously insulted Francis for his pro-poor teachings, greeted the head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics at the foot of his plane, on arriving from Uruguay.

The pope is expected to speak out in defense of the vulnerable over the course of his four-day visit.

Just three weeks after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, he is on an ambitious 12-day tour of the continent where he served nearly two decades as a missionary.

In secular Uruguay, he condemned drug violence and urged an end to child poverty.

The Argentine stage of his visit aims to boost the flagging faith of a country left disappointed by Francis’s failure to visit during his papacy.

It will also act as a litmus test of support for the Church.

Some 57.7 percent of people identified as Catholic in a recent University of Buenos Aires poll. That’s down from around 90 percent in the 1960s.

There was a palpable lack of pope fever on the streets of Buenos Aires Sunday.

Many people appeared to be taking advantage of a public holiday declared Monday for the papal visit to get out of town.

Leo is expected to urge greater protection of society’s most vulnerable in the wake of Milei’s cuts, which have left millions on the breadline.

On Monday, he will visit a home for disabled people, a significant choice given the government’s controversial cuts to disability assistance.

Leo will also celebrate three open-air masses.

Miguel de Leon, a 73-year-old taxi driver who plans to attend the service in Buenos Aires, told AFP he hoped the pontiff would “bring a little tranquility” to the country, which has been convulsed by anti-government protests.

Milei’s sister and top advisor Karina Milei echoed those sentiments.

“I hope the Holy Father’s visit will be an opportunity for all Argentines to come together,” she wrote on X, in a post shared by the president.

The Church has said it expects seven million faithful to flock to various events over the next four days.

- ‘Imbecile’ Francis -

Milei came to office on a promise to revive Argentina’s ailing economy and tame runaway inflation by shrinking the welfare state, targeting public hospitals, universities and pensioners in particular.

The poverty rate has swung wildly since he came to power – increasing to 32.3 percent in September.

Susana Arauz, a 75-year-old retired lawyer who travelled from the coast to see the pope, said she hoped he would “take a stand” against a “despotic government that mistreats the vulnerable.”

A close ally of US President Donald Trump, with a similar attacking style, Milei had a tense relationship with Francis.

On the campaign trail the cost-cutting economist called his countryman an “imbecile” for championing social justice.

Once in office, however, he softened his tone but he continues to heap insults on the press and opposition.

His relationship with Leo has so far been cordial, but the local Catholic Church has heavily criticized him for treating key social services solely as a budgetary constraint.

Milei has also been criticized for restricting several democratic freedoms, including the right to protest.

But he maintains a loyal supporter base for drastically reducing inflation.