Far-right populist who is a 'shoo-in' for president aims at pope

In one corner of the ring stands Javier Milei, 52, self-described former tantric sex coach, outsider anarcho-capitalist and frontrunner in Argentina's upcoming presidential elections; in the other, his compatriot Pope Francis, 86, champion of the poor, repeatedly derided by Argentina's likely next president as "a fucking communist" and "the representative of the evil one on Earth" for promoting the doctrine of "social justice" to aid the underprivileged.

- Uki Goñi

Milei, a political unknown until 2020, has pledged to wage a "cultural battle" to transform Argentina into a libertarian paradise where capitalist efficiency replaces social assistance, taxes are reduced to a minimum and cash-strapped individuals are allowed to sell their body organs.

From Rome, Pope Francis has expressed concern about the rise of such callous policies in his home country. "The extreme right always reconstructs itself, it is the triumph of selfishness over communitarianism," he said in an interview in March when asked about Argentina's elections.

The pope's doctrine of social justice is synonymous to theft in Milei's Liberty Advances party because it relies on tax revenues. In a vein-popping victory speech after Argentina's open primaries on 13 August, a tousle-haired Milei promised the demise of government benefits because they are "based on that atrocity that says that where there is a need, a right is born, its maximum expression being that aberration called social justice".

Milei has trolled Francis with repetitive toxic tweets calling him a "communist turd", a "piece of shit" and accusing the pontiff of "preaching communism to the world".