Pope León XIV received Argentina’s President Javier Milei on Saturday at the Vatican, where particular emphasis was placed on “the fight against poverty and the commitment to social cohesion” during bilateral talks.
Milei has been on a European tour since Friday, with stops in Italy, the Vatican, Spain and France. On Monday, he will fly to Israel before returning to Madrid on Thursday.
On Saturday, he was received by Pope León XIV at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, followed by meetings with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and the Undersecretary for Relations with States, Mirosław Wachowski, the Holy See confirmed.
“During the cordial discussions … mutual appreciation was expressed for the strong bilateral relationship and a shared desire to further strengthen it,” the Vatican said in a brief communiqué.
It went on to note that the meetings addressed “matters of common interest, including socio-economic developments, the fight against poverty and the commitment to social cohesion”, as well as “ongoing conflicts” and “the importance of urgent action in favour of peace,” without offering further detail.
In a video released by the Holy See, the pontiff can be heard welcoming the Argentine President in Spanish: “Muy buenos días, señor presidente, bienvenido.”
During the meeting, the Pope confirmed to Milei that he intends to visit Argentina, presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni stated on social media platform X.
In the traditional exchange of gifts, Milei – a staunchly ultra-libertarian economist and proponent of sweeping deregulation – made his ideological leanings clear by presenting the Augustinian pontiff with a copy of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek’s The Fatal Conceit.
He also gave the Pope a vicuña poncho made in Catamarca and two books by Spanish economist Jesús Huerta de Soto, a leading figure in the Austrian School of Economics and an intellectual reference point for Milei.
León XIV, the first American pope in history, previously served as a missionary and bishop in Peru – a country whose citizenship he holds – and maintains a strong interest in Latin America.
He was made cardinal by Buenos Aires-born Pope Francis, with whom Milei had public clashes before staging a reconciliation during a Vatican visit in February 2024.
Milei did not attend León XIV’s inaugural Mass at the Vatican on May 18, due to a scheduling clash with local legislative elections in Buenos Aires. Saturday’s meeting was therefore their first encounter.
– TIMES/AFP
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