Pope holds three-hour meeting with Cristina Kirchner

Mar 18, 2014

VATICAN: Jorge Mario Bergoglio held a three-hour private meeting, plus lunch, with Argentina’s presidenta, Cristina Kirchner, in the Pope’s residence at St. Martha’s House in the Vatican on Monday

Mrs. Kirchner flew to Rome yesterday and met with a nasty accident before the meeting: “Sunday evening the President of Argentina twisted her left ankle while walking around in her [hotel] room,” a statement issued this morning by the presidential medical unit reads. This explains Mrs. Kirchner late arrival in the Vatican (at 1:10 pm instead of 12:45 pm as scheduled) and why she was wearing a brace on her left foot. The Pope greeted her at the entrance to the St. Martha’s House residence, where he also bid her farewell at about 4pm.

The president was “accompanied by a large delegation” and the aim of today’s meeting was for Mrs. Kirchner to pass on the greetings, wishes and affection of the Argentinean people to the Holy Father on the first anniversary of his pontificate,” a Vatican statement read. The Pope first met with the president and the entire delegation (which included amongst others Argentina’s foreign affairs minister, Hector Timerman, the Secretary for Public Communications, Alfredo Scoccimarro, Cult Secretary Guillermo Olivieri and the Argentinean ambassador to the Holy See, Juan Pablo Cafiero) and then with the president alone. At about 1:30 pm, the two lunched together in private. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin also greeted Mrs. Kirchner.

The president gave the Pope a photograph of him and his friend Fr. Pepe (parish priest of Buenos Aires’ Barracas neighbourhood) taken some years ago. She also gave him some books - one of which depicted her late husband, Nestor Kirchner who was President before her -, a thermos commemorating the bicentennial anniversary of Argentina’s independence, a picture of St. Rose of Lima painted with Malbec wine, “a very Argentinean present,” Mrs. Kirchner reportedly said. The Pope gave the presidenta was an icon of St. Martin, amongst some other gifts.

This is the third time the Pope has met the Argentinean president since his election last year. They first met during an audience at the start of Francis’ pontificate on 18 March and then after the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro last summer. Although relations between the two are now cordial, there had been some friction between them (Mrs. Kirchner’s husband included) when Bergoglio was archbishop of Buenos Aires. Nestor Kirchner went as far as to call Bergoglio the main leader of the opposition.--Vatican Insider