Javier Milei meets Pope Francis for first time since insulting pontiff

Argentine President Javier Milei has found himself face-to-face with Pope Francis at the Vatican, marking their first encounter since the outspoken libertarian’s scathing criticisms of the pontiff.

Javier Milei meets Pope Francis for first time since insulting pontiff

President Milei, a former critic of Pope Francis, attended the canonisation Mass of Argentina’s first female saint, Mama Antula, at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Milei, now in office, displayed a more tempered tone towards the Pope, with whom he had exchanged insults before running for president.

Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa, better known as “Mama Antula,” was an 18th-century consecrated laywoman who renounced family wealth to focus on charity and Jesuit spirituality.

The canonisation occurred amid Argentina’s severe economic crisis, with inflation exceeding 200%, and Milei facing challenges after parliamentary rejection of a major reform package.

President Milei had a front-row seat at the service, sharing warm words and a friendly embrace with the Argentinian Pope afterward.

The Pope “is the most important Argentine in history”, Milei told Radio Mitre on Saturday.

Milei is scheduled for a private audience with Pope Francis on Monday.

Pope Francis, who has not visited Argentina since becoming pope in 2013, mentioned the possibility of a trip in the second half of the year.