Milei Weeps at Farewell to Pope Leo XIV After Argentina Visit

Argentine President Javier Milei was brought to tears during his farewell to Pope Leo XIV after the Holy Father’s visit to the country. The emotion came as the pope prepared to board the papal plane. According to the report, Milei wept heavily and asked the Holy Father to pray for him.

The farewell comes after a long and often tense relationship between Milei and the Catholic Church. Breitbart News reported in 2023 that more than 20 Argentine Catholic priests had celebrated a joint “Mass of Atonement” in Buenos Aires to defend Pope Francis and respond to statements Milei made in 2020. According to that report, Milei, then a libertarian economist and lawmaker, had called the pope an “imbecile who defends social justice,” a “son of a bitch preaching communism,” and “the representative of the evil one on Earth.” The same report said Milei remained outspokenly critical of Pope Francis, although his tone had moderated since he became the front-runner in the October election.

Relations were not entirely hostile. Milei and Pope Francis met at the Vatican in 2024, nearly a year after the 2023 remarks, and the meeting was described as cordial. The Holy See Press Office said the discussions at the Secretariat of State expressed appreciation for good relations between the Holy See and Argentina and a desire to strengthen them. The parties also addressed the new government’s program to counter the economic crisis, and turned to international themes, especially ongoing conflicts and the commitment to peace among nations (Matthew 5:9).

Breitbart News also noted that Milei was raised Roman Catholic and had at one point floated the idea of converting to Judaism, though that had never taken shape.

Pope Leo’s visit to Argentina has been hailed as a success. His outdoor Mass in Buenos Aires this week drew a crowd of more than 2.5 million people.

Source: Read the original report