Argentinian President Milei Meets Pope Francis in Rome

The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, met for an hour with Pope Francis in Rome yesterday February 12. After he visited Israel, the Argentine president visited Italy, where he had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and also with the first Argentine pope, Francis. The meeting took place after several quarrels in which Milei called the Catholic Pope an “imbecile” and even said that Francis was the “representative of the devil on Earth”.

The meeting was cordial. A private meeting of about one hour, without witnesses in which, according to Vatican sources, the economic program and the proposals for the future of Argentina were discussed. Furthermore, according to the Argentinean head of state himself, one of the topics on the agenda was the invitation to Francis to visit Argentina for the first time since he was enthroned almost eleven years ago, something that the pope considers “a possibility” for the second half of the year.

The first Argentinean saint

Although the meeting between Milei and Pope Francis occurred yesterday, February 12, both heads of state met briefly on Sunday as well, after the canonization mass of Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, a consecrated Christian laywoman and founder of the Daughters of the Divine Savior in the 18th century. Known as Mama Antula, the Argentinean is the first Catholic saint of that country.

At the end of the mass, Francis and Milei embraced in a scene that seemed to be one of reconciliation, after the significant insults that the current Argentinean head of state threw at his compatriot during his political campaign. For its part, the Vatican has always wanted to avoid confrontation. “The pope is a person who feels great affection for everyone and one cannot think that he has animosity towards anyone. The pope’s idea is always to engage in dialogue and to put different points of view on the table,” the Argentinean Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez said on the matter today.

In fact, aside from the nice words, the pope condemned “radical individualism” shortly before Sunday’s canonization ceremony. It should be recalled that President Milei has a reputation of belonging to the ideological position that he defines as “libertarian”.

“Mama Antula’s charity, especially in the service to the most needy, today imposes itself with great force, in the midst of this society that runs the risk of forgetting that radical individualism is the most difficult virus to overcome,” declared the pontiff. “A virus that deceives. It makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions,” he concluded.

Strengthening relationships

The Vatican released a statement following yesterday’s meeting between Pope Francis and the leader of Argentina. The statement highlighted the Pope’s pleasure with the current positive relationship between the Holy See and the Republic of Argentina. It also mentioned a mutual interest in further enhancing these ties.

“This morning, the Holy Father Francis met at the Apostolic Palace the President of the Republic of Argentina, Javier Gerardo Milei, who subsequently met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness; accompanied by Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations,” says the Vatican communiqué.

The text also affirms that, in addition to the specific economic issues of Argentina, the heads of state also spoke about the current conflicts in the world and peace.

The meeting ended shortly before noon, Italian time, and the Argentine president still had time to take a coffee with Sergio Mattarella, the Italian head of state, and later to talk with the Italian Prime Minister, the ultra-right-wing Giorgia Meloni, before taking the plane back to Buenos Aires.