Argentina's Catholic Church and NGOs challenge Milei's property rights bill

The Catholic Church’s Episcopal Commission of Social Pastoral, together with Caritas and the Indigenous Pastoral Team (ENDEPA), issued an open letter to Argentine legislators opposing the government’s proposed “Law of Inviolability of Private Property.” The bill, promoted by deregulation minister Federico Sturzenegger under President Javier Milei, would eliminate limits on foreign land purchases, repeal environmental safeguards that restrict the immediate use of lands burned by forest fires, and remove existing controls on strategic territories.

The organizations argue the legislation “attacks the sovereignty of our land, our food, our common goods and the right of peoples to self‑determine,” warning that it threatens indigenous communities, rural families and the nation’s food security. They also highlight the country's housing crisis, urging a legal framework that protects both owners and tenants. The letter calls on legislators to prioritize the common good over private interests.