Argentinian President Javier Milei arrived at the Vatican this Saturday to have an audience with León XIV, the first official meeting between the American Pope, who also holds Peruvian nationality, and the head of the Argentine State. Milei arrived at the San Damaso courtyard that provides access to the apostolic palace, ten minutes before the meeting with the pontiff.
According to the Argentine press, the meeting lasted 45 minutes and sources from the delegation described it as having “a great atmosphere of good understanding.” Both parties discussed “topics of common interest, including socioeconomic trends, the fight against poverty, and the commitment to social cohesion,” as reported by the Holy See.
Milei was received by the head of the Pontifical Household, Leonardo Sapienza, and the ‘gentlemen’ who accompanied him on a tour through the fresco-decorated hallways until they reached the Second Loggia, where the library of the pontifical apartment is located, the place where audiences are held.
After the audience with Pope Leo XIV, Milei also met with the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the Undersecretary for Relations with States, Monsignor Mirosław Wachowski. After his stay in Rome, “a clear approach to the Vatican,” as a member of the entourage told La Nación, the Argentine president will depart for Spain to continue with the international tour he began this Friday in Rome, where he met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and which will also take him to France and Israel.
Milei was present at the funeral of Pope Francis on April 26, but he sent his Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Gerardo Werthein, and of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, to represent Argentina at the inaugural mass of Pope León XIV in the Vatican City.