Pope telephones new Argentinian President; President invites Pope to visit Argentina

Javier Milei spoke with the Pope and invited him to come to Argentina: Francis told him that he must have “courage and wisdom”

The call came from the Vatican and they had a “pleasant” talk; Francisco told him that he must have “courage and wisdom”; There were gestures from the president-elect after the tense statements during the campaign

Javier Milei received a surprising phone call this afternoon: Pope Francis contacted him from the Vatican, in a gesture that marks the beginning of their personal relationship, after the controversy over the offensive statements of the libertarian candidate on his way to power . According to sources from La Libertad Avanza, the president-elect invited him to visit Argentina both on a state visit, as well as in his capacity as a leader of Catholicism and cleric.

The conversation was “pleasant,” as described by libertarian sources, and lasted around eight minutes, in which Milei addressed the Supreme Pontiff as “His Holiness.” Milei was in a journalistic interview when he was told that he had a communication from the Vatican.

According to sources familiar with the conversation, Milei conveyed to Francisco that he knows that he has “an important challenge to combat poverty and destitution” and that he said he will work “strongly” with “children” and on improving education. . Francisco, meanwhile, congratulated Milei on his electoral victory over Sergio Massa in last Sunday's runoff and told him that he will have to face the new stage with "wisdom and courage." At that moment, Milei responded: “I don't lack courage and I'm working on wisdom.” The Pope went further and recommended: “ask for it.”

“I wish you the best,” the Pontiff then said to the president-elect, whom he addressed on a first-name basis, with the informality that characterizes him and to whom he conveyed words of encouragement in the face of the large task that awaits him: “Go ahead, I pray for you,” he said. he said, as confirmed to LA NACION by senior Vatican sources.

When Milei told him that when he wants to travel to Argentina he will receive him with “all the honors of head of state and head of the Catholic Church,” the Pope replied “let's see” and thanked him.

Javier Milei invited the Pope to Argentina; Francis called the president-elect

Sources from La Libertad Avanza did not confirm whether the Pope's visit to Argentina will take place next year. Milei's invitation contemplated that Francisco could come to the country on an official mission - such as a state visit that involves all the protocols and security devices - or as a clergyman.

When Mauricio Macri was elected at the end of 2015, there was never a telephone call from the Pope, but rather the first conversation between the two, who already knew each other from their time in Buenos Aires - one an archbishop, the other head of government of the City -, it was December 17, 2015, when Macri called the Pontiff for his birthday.

At the Hotel Libertador, the person in charge of the telephone link was the future chancellor, Diana Mondino, who had to interrupt the television interview that Milei was giving at that moment.

The efforts to complete the communication would have been facilitated through Ramiro Marra (former candidate for head of the Buenos Aires government of La Libertad Avanza) and a friend in common with Francisco, the ophthalmologist Fabio Bartucci, who operated on the Pope's eyesight and who in the In the next few days I would travel to Buenos Aires with a rosary for Milei.

New chapter with the Vatican

The libertarian leader thus leaves behind part of the sparks that he had had in the campaign with the Vatican and with part of the Church. During the presidential campaign, statements that Milei had made years ago were revived, when he had called Francisco “disastrous” and “representative of evil on Earth.”

During the campaign there was friction with part of the Church, when the village priests organized a mass of reparation to the Pope, on September 5, following the disqualifications of the libertarian leader. A day later, Milei gave the interview to Tucker Carlson, the controversial American journalist, and criticized Francisco again. “The Pope plays politically, he has a strong political influence and has also demonstrated a great affinity with dictators like Castro or Maduro. That is, he is on the side of bloody dictatorships,” he launched.

The verbal escalation between Javier Milei and the Church continued: the designated Argentine cardinal Víctor Manuel “Tucho” Fernández - installed in the Vatican - stated that “surely” Francisco will not go to a place “where the authorities despise his presence”, in reference to a possible trip to Argentina.

A conservative wing of La Libertad Avanza, which is closely identified with Catholicism, has been working with a low profile to smooth relations with the Vatican. They are young people who joined Milei's party because the candidate was emphatic in his opposition to the legalisation of abortion and has on his agenda to repeal the law that enabled the voluntary interruption of pregnancy.

In addition, Milei's statements about Francisco had irritated his former employer, businessman Eduardo Eurnekian. The owner of Corporación América has good ties with the Vatican and was one of those who collaborated with Francis' visit to Armenia in 2016 and promoted inter-religious dialogue.

But then Milei was able to make amends with Eurnekian: the "Armenian" would have been the private channel for the libertarian leader to make his apology to Francis, something he finally made public in the Presidential debate.

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