Photos offer a glimpse inside Argentina disability care home Pope Leo XIV will visit in November

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — At a Catholic home south of Argentina’s capital, residents with disabilities are eagerly preparing to welcome Pope Leo XIV as their caregivers struggle to secure medicine, diapers and other essentials.

Leo will visit the home in Claypole, a working-class suburb of Buenos Aires, on Nov. 9, a day after meeting President Javier Milei. The back-to-back stops will take him from the presidential palace to a home whose staff say the libertarian leader’s spending cuts threaten the round-the-clock assistance residents need to walk, talk, eat and bathe.

Home to about 400 people with disabilities, the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione resembles a small town, with roads connecting dozens of residential buildings, classrooms and therapy rooms around a central square and church. Beyond basic care, it helps residents develop skills and pursue their own goals through cooking workshops, gardening and dance classes. Families often turn to the institution when they cannot afford care or are unable or unwilling to provide it themselves, caregivers say. Most residents receive no family visits.

For years, the home also served as a training ground for future priests. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, encouraged seminarians to spend a month at the Cottolengo before ordination, putting their faith into practice through service to people on society’s margins. Francis never returned to Argentina during his 12-year papacy, disappointing many of his compatriots.

Now Leo’s visit promises to draw international attention to the home at a critical moment, said Fernando Montero, who oversees its disability services. Since government deliveries of medicines, diapers, dressings and food stopped in November 2025, the home has relied on its own funds and donations to fill the gap.

"Pope Leo’s visit gives us great hope that this problem — and people with disabilities themselves — will gain visibility,” Montero said.

Robes worn by the priests hang from a rack inside the church of Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Faithful pose for a group photo in the church inside Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A portrait of Luis Orione, an Italian priest and founder of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that Pope Leo XIV will visit in November, sits in a storage room at the home’s church in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Employee Nancy Bravo feeds resident Miguel Rojas in the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Residents gather in a communal area as they wait to fed at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Stella Maris Fernandez kisses instructor Lucia Carrera while taking part in an art workshop at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Residents attend an art workshop at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Raul colors an illustration of Spiderman in a painting workshop at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Residents gather in a communal space at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Employees attend a meeting at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A resident cheers while attending a woodworking class at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A resident practices tossing a ball during a physical therapy workshop in the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Volunteers go for a walk with residents at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Employee Giselle Correa kisses resident Flavio Mendez in the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Residents participate in a dance workshop at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

An aerial view of the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Residents participate in a pastry workshop at the Pequeño Cottolengo Don Orione, a home for people with disabilities that will be visited by Pope Leo XIV in November, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A New Mexico jury on Friday found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections on the platform in the latest legal setback against the social media giant that has already cost it billions of dollars.

The jury found over 43 million violations of state consumer protection law and it is now up to the judge to determine how much the company would pay, with attorneys representing the state asking for the maximum $5,000 penalty per violation.

“The verdict marks a significant victory for New Mexico consumers and holds one of the world’s largest technology companies accountable for its conduct,” the New Mexico Department of Justice said in a statement.

The two-week trial in Santa Fe centered on accusations that Facebook, owned by Meta, deceived users about a data breach stemming from a third-party personality quiz that harvested data from roughly 87 million profiles and sold it to a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, to generate targeted ads. The now-defunct firm’s clients included the 2016 campaign for Donald Trump.

Jurors sided with prosecutors, finding Facebook made deceptive statements about protecting users’ data that affected New Mexico’s entire population of more than two million people. The jury also found Facebook misled the public about investigations into third-party app developers that harvest user data following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

“We disagree with the verdict and will continue to defend ourselves against efforts to distort our record,” said Alex Burgos, a spokesperson for Meta in an email.

During closing arguments, lawyers for Facebook claimed the state’s evidence was outdated and that despite having five years to gather material, New Mexico found only one other instance of a data breach.

The trial also addressed Facebook's policies for removing harmful content. The state claimed the company favored certain accounts and allowed for violent, or inaccurate, content to proliferate. Facebook denied the claims, arguing the company has adapted its policies since the state's lawsuit was filed in 2021 and that it removes 99% of content that violates standards.

The jury reviewed 34 statements made by the company about data protections and content policies, finding the company deceived users about its practices in almost every case.

In one of the few wins for the defense, jurors found the state didn't prove that Facebook made false claims about removing harmful content, including misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite jurors finding millions of violations, it's unclear how much of an impact the case will have on the company's bottom line, given how profitable Meta is.

"It's unlikely that this is going to be the case that effectively penalizes the company in a meaningful way," said Peter Ormerod, an associate professor of law at Villanova University.

Ormerod said the social media company has very high margins and previously skirted regulatory actions on its platforms.

If the state successfully persuaded the judge to award the maximum civil penalties for every violation, the company could owe over $200 billion, with interest accruing if it decides to appeal. The judge will have to weigh complex arguments from both sides about what penalties are fair. In a previous case, New Mexico secured $942 million over the platform’s policies to protect minors.

Ormerod commended the state’s “dogged prosecution” of the social media giant, but isn’t sure the judgment will be significant enough to change Meta’s ways.

“There’s been a lot of criticism that none of these amounts of money are enough to discipline the company,” Ormerod said.

In a deposition played for jurors, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company had robust systems to determine whether content should be taken down. During closing arguments, Randi McGinn, an attorney representing the state, argued that Facebook profited off harmful content, which lawyers for the company denied.

“Meta’s platforms are forums for free expression. We have a First Amendment right to manage those platforms in a way we believe best serves the interests of our community. This means prioritizing free speech, protecting our users’ information and giving them control over their data,” said Burgos.

The judge will decide on penalties at a later date, but that hearing hasn’t been set yet. Attorney General Raúl Torrez told reporters following the verdict that the judgment will be decided within weeks and that all money awarded will go into a fund for the state's education system. The state is also seeking an injunction to stop similar practices in the future.

In August, Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle a multistate lawsuit involving child safety issues. Buried in the 130-page settlement was an agreement to release Meta from future liability related to the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach, making New Mexico the only state to decide to pursue a case on its own. Florida was the only other state that did not sign the settlement, saying it was not tough enough on Meta, leaving the door open for future litigation.

Also this year, New Mexico won judgments totaling $942 million from Meta in a two-phase trial about the company’s safety protections for minors. The court ordered Meta to implement new safeguards, including age-verification technology and time limits on its platforms.

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Schuettler reported from Phoenix.

— Schuettler is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

FILE - The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris on June 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)