2024-02-11 15:48:59
President Javier Milei greeted Pope Francis this Sunday in St. Peter’s Basilica, where the canonization mass was held for María Antonia de San José de Paz y Figueroa, the laywoman known as Mama Antula who this morning became the first Argentine saint in history.
Before the start of the mass, which began at 9:23 local time (5:23 in Argentina), The president greeted the Pope in the sacristy of the Vatican basilicawhich represents a turning point in his relationship with the Pope, marked by repeated hostilities on the part of the far-right, who on more than one occasion has offended the pontiff to the point of calling him “representative of evil on earth.”
“It is a very important moment for Argentine history,” Milei told the press inside the Basilica this Sunday.
The president was accompanied during the mass by the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei; by Foreign Minister Diana Mondino; by the Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Francos; and by the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, among other authorities.
In addition to the national government delegation, the head of Government of the City of Buenos Aires, Jorge Macri, and the governor of Santiago del Estero, Gerardo Zamora, were also present.
Then, there was a second greeting, a little longer and including a kiss, once the mass was over, after 11 o’clock in Rome, when Francisco approached to greet Milei in his wheelchair before leaving the Basilica and the two heads of state said goodbye with a brief hug..
The pontiff also greeted other members of the delegation, such as Karina Milei and Guillermo Francos.
Those around Milei were surprised by the Pope’s gesture, who broke protocol to go greet him.
This Monday, the President and the Pope will have a private audience from 9 a.m. in Rome in the Pontiff’s Private Library of the Apostolic Palace.