In the basilica, under the large tapestry that portrays the first Argentine saint, Mama Antula, there are Pope Francis and, sitting in the front pew, President Javier Milei. He came to Rome to pay homage to this very popular and beloved religious woman among the poorest, certainly a precious opportunity to 'mend' relations with the Pope who he had repeatedly offended during the election campaign. "Donkey", "imbecile", "demonic communist", "antichrist".
Pope Francis in his long prepared homily refers to the social work of Mama Antula, remembering that she assisted the indigenous and the most miserable in 18th century Argentina. And then commenting on the page of the Gospel he emphasizes how even today societies put aside the fragile. They are the new lepers. The not too veiled message is directed at Milei considering the welfare cuts he is carrying out to fix a crumbling economy.
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The Pope says: "Fear, prejudice and false religiosity: here are three causes of a great injustice, three "leprosies of the soul" that make a weak person suffer, discarding him like a reject. Brothers, sisters, let's not think they are just things of the past. How many suffering people do we meet on the sidewalks of our cities! And how many fears, prejudices and inconsistencies, even among those who believe and profess themselves Christians, contribute to hurting them further! Even in our time there is a lot of marginalization, there are barriers to break down, "leprosies" to cure. But how?" The words resonate heavily. At the ceremony this time there is not the great fullness of faithful, many chairs at the end of St. Peter's were empty, on the other hand there is the entire Argentine community present in Rome.
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The saint, in the world María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, is particularly dear also to the Pope and all the Jesuits. "She was touched by Jesus thanks to the Spiritual Exercises, in a context of material and moral misery, she spent herself personally, among a thousand difficulties, so that many others could live her same experience. Thus she involved thousands of people and founded works still alive today. Peaceful in her heart, she walked around "armed" with a large wooden cross, an image of the Sorrowful and a small crucifix that she wore around her neck, to which was attached a statuette of Baby Jesus".
Pope Francis and Javier Milei, embrace at St. Peter's
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As soon as Milei arrives in the basilica, he is immediately framed by the cameras. It had been years since such a high media expectation for the visit of an Argentine president was recorded in Italy, even though Milei - called the Trump of Latin America or also El Loco, the madman, because of certain bizarre outings in the election campaign - is in fact the new political phenomenon in Latin America, and now the protagonist of a controversial economic reform that is setting the country on fire.
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Tomorrow an official visit to the Apostolic Palace and the conversation is planned. Milei will try to get His Holiness to promise to go to Argentina by the end of the year. It could be the beginning of an interesting and complex relationship, still all to be built and defined. Francis in these weeks of social revolt seeing the draconian cuts and the general strike that has paralyzed everything, has expressed great concern for the poor. Meanwhile, Milei has reassured that the fragile social strata will be protected even if it is necessary to reverse the economic fate of the country marked by inflation that has reached record figures. However, the omnibus law is struggling to advance and has already suffered a defeat in the Chamber so much that Milei is considering a government reshuffle with the men of former President Mauricio Macri.
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Also part of the entourage (rather large) is a rabbi friend of his, Axel Wahnish, and next designated ambassador to Israel. The first stop of the trip to Europe was in Jerusalem to show solidarity after October 7 to the Israeli people. At the Wailing Wall, Milei, evidently moved, let himself go to despair while the cameras were filming his streaked and sobbing face. Shortly afterwards he announced the transfer of the Argentine embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, in the middle of the war, just like Trump did at his time.
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