BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -Argentina’s President Javier Milei held his first official audience with Pope Leo at the Vatican on Saturday where he confirmed that the pontiff will visit the South American country, according to the presidential spokesman.
No further details of the planned visit were disclosed on Saturday.
Milei had a tense relationship with Pope Francis, the late Argentine pope who never returned to his native country during his 12-year papacy, potentially signaling the start of a new diplomatic chapter.
“The Pope confirmed to the President during our recent meeting that he will visit Argentina,” Manuel Adorni, the presidential spokesperson wrote via social media.
The papal visit could take place as soon as next year, according to Argentina’s daily newspaper La Nación, as part of a tour that would include stops in Uruguay and Peru, where Leo, the first U.S. pope, resided for nearly 20 years.
Milei, a libertarian and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was not present at the inauguration ceremony of the new head of the Catholic Church due to local legislative elections he was required to attend.
Discussions between the two parties on Saturday were described as “cordial” and addressed issues of “common interest such as socioeconomic progress, the fight against poverty, and the commitment to social cohesion, in addition to addressing ongoing conflicts,” the Vatican later said in a statement.
Milei met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday in Rome as part of his visit, where an agreement between Italian energy group Eni and Argentina’s state-owned energy firm YPF was signed.
(Reporting by Lucila Sigal in Buenos Aires. Writing by Lucinda Elliott. Editing by Louise Heavens)
