By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Catholic pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, on Saturday received the President of Argentina, Mr. Javier Gerardo Milei, in the Vatican.
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office, President Milei also met with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied by the Vatican’s Under-Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Msgr. Mirosław Stanisław Wachowski.
According to the statement, the discussions at the Secretariat of State were “cordial,” and “mutual appreciation was reiterated for the sound bilateral relations” between the Holy See and the Argentine Republic, along with “the will to strengthen them further.”
“Attention then turned,” the statement continued, “to matters of common interest, such as socio-economic progress, the fight against poverty and the commitment to social cohesion.”
“Finally,” it concluded, “some topics of a regional and international socio-political nature were discussed, with special attention given to ongoing conflicts,” noting that they highlighted “the importance of urgent efforts in support of peace.”
Milei, 54, a native of Buenos Aires, has been President since 10 December 2023, when he was sworn in.
The late Pope Francis had met the President on different occasions, including for an official audience the day after the Argentine Pope had canonised St María Antonia de San José de Paz y Figueroa, known around the world as “Mama Antula,” making her the first Argentine saint.
President Milei attended the funeral of Pope Francis and the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV.
