Milei meets with Pope Francis for an hour behind closed doors after hugging at the canonization of 'Mama Antula'

ROMA, 12 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Pope met behind closed doors with the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, for an hour, according to the Vatican Press Office, after greeting each other this Sunday with a hug at the end of the canonization mass of the first saint. Argentina, María Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, popularly known as 'Mama Antula'.

This is an unusual length in the Pontiff's meetings with heads of State or Government, which usually do not exceed 40 minutes. Milei has presented the Pope with dulce de leche alfajores and lemon cookies from the Pope's preferred brand, according to sources from the Argentine presidency. In addition, he has given him a folder with a copy of the handwritten letter from Chancellor José María Gutiérrez to Juan Bautista Alberdi accrediting him as representative in Europe, dating from May 1854, and with a painting with the commemorative postcard of 'Mamá Antula' that the Correo Argentino distributed on the occasion of his beatification in August 2017.

For his part, the Pope has presented Milei with a bronze medallion with a representation of the Baldachin of Saint Peter, which represents the harmony between the sacred and the divine, uniting heaven and earth in a unique vision and in whose center it shines the dove of the Holy Spirit, a symbol of unity, strength and inspiration for the Church, as can be read on a parchment that accompanied the gift. He has also given you his main books and this year's World Day of Peace Message.

Milei's entourage was made up of her sister Karina, general secretary of the Presidency; the chancellor, Diana Mondino; the Ministers of the Interior and Human Capital, Guillermo Francos and Sandra Pettovello; Rabbi Axel Wahnish, ambassador-designate to Israel; and the announced Secretary of Worship, Francisco Sánchez. Francisco gave all of them a rosary.

Milei arrived at 8:57 a.m. at the Patio de San Damaso - after having stopped the official car on Via della Conciliazione to greet a group of Argentines who gathered near the Vatican - and was received by Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, prelate. from the Pontifical House, which led him to the private library of the Apostolic Palace where the meeting took place without cameras or journalists.

Milei's agenda at the Vatican has also included a meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin. Later, Milei is scheduled to have a meeting with the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and the president, Sergio Mattarella.