- Feb 5, 2002
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Months after throwing verbal jabs at Pope Francis along the campaign train, Argentine President Javier Milei brought smiles and cookies to the Vatican for his highly anticipated meeting with the pope Feb. 12.
The 60 minutes they spent speaking privately was significantly longer than usual for a meeting between the pope and a head of state, especially considering that no translator was needed between the Buenos Aires natives. Pope Francis’ meeting with the president of Tanzania earlier in the morning, by comparison, lasted only 25 minutes.
After his meeting with the pope, the Argentine president met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, with whom he discussed the new government’s plans to address the economic crisis in Argentina and ongoing global conflicts, the Vatican said.
The long pedestrian street leading to the Vatican was closed off for the president’s motorcade the morning of their meeting. A group of people waiting for the president to pass was gathered outside the Argentine embassy to the Vatican, and Milei stopped the car to take pictures with them on his way to the Vatican. He arrived in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace about 10 minutes later than scheduled.
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
The 60 minutes they spent speaking privately was significantly longer than usual for a meeting between the pope and a head of state, especially considering that no translator was needed between the Buenos Aires natives. Pope Francis’ meeting with the president of Tanzania earlier in the morning, by comparison, lasted only 25 minutes.
Friendly conversation between Milei and Francis
Although the Vatican did not share the content of their conversation, edited video footage shows the pope and the president having a friendly conversation and sharing a laugh. Among the gifts Milei brought for the pope were traditional Argentine sweets, dulce de leche alfajores, and the pope’s favorite brand of lemon cookies, the president’s spokesperson said in a post on X. He also gave the pope a commemorative postcard of St. María Antonia de Paz Figueroa — canonized by Pope Francis the previous day — distributed by the Argentine post office for her beatification in 2017.After his meeting with the pope, the Argentine president met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, and Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Vatican foreign minister, with whom he discussed the new government’s plans to address the economic crisis in Argentina and ongoing global conflicts, the Vatican said.
The long pedestrian street leading to the Vatican was closed off for the president’s motorcade the morning of their meeting. A group of people waiting for the president to pass was gathered outside the Argentine embassy to the Vatican, and Milei stopped the car to take pictures with them on his way to the Vatican. He arrived in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace about 10 minutes later than scheduled.
Continued below.
New Argentine president brings Pope Francis his favorite sweets
Pope Francis meets with Argentine President Javier Milei at the Vatican Feb. 12.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
