Before returning to Argentina,
Pope Francis
received this Wednesday in a private audience for 40 minutes
Jorge Macri
, who was in Italy to participate in the beatification ceremony last Sunday of Mama Antula.
There was an exchange of gifts and
the Supreme Pontiff insisted on his intention to travel to Argentina.
The meeting was broadcast by the Buenos Aires Government along with a photo of both.
The meeting took place at the official residence of the pontiff, Santa Marta, where the Pope received the guests at the door
.
“We talked about the plans I have for the South of Buenos Aires and the Pope seemed very interested.
We also talked about the Flores neighborhood and that brought back many memories,”
said Macri, who was accompanied by his wife, journalist María Belén Ludueña.
As
Clarín
learned , Macri gave Francisco letters that residents of the City of Buenos Aires wrote to him and gave him records with music by
Alberto Ginastera and Astor Piazzolla
, and a watercolor by Mama Antula.
The Pope was struck by where the CDs had been purchased, Casa Piscitelli, in downtown Buenos Aires.
“I thought it had closed because of the pandemic,”
commented the Supreme Pontiff and was glad that it remained open.
For his part, Francisco gave Macri and his wife blessed rosaries.
"They talked about the possibility of coming to Argentina and the Pope told him that he has every intention,"
Buenos Aires sources revealed.
The economic crisis that Argentina is going through was also a topic of conversation during the meeting, which began at 4 p.m. (Italy time).
According to the Buenos Aires Government, both spoke about the concept of "arriving before people suffer."
“I told him that
we are working on mechanisms to be close to the middle class that does not seek assistance on a regular basis
and we agree that this situation is reminiscent of what happened during the pandemic,” said the head of government.
Macri revealed that the Supreme Pontiff was interested in the phrase “arriving sooner.”
“I'm going to steal it from you,”
Francisco joked.
The “concern” of mental health issues, addictions and how to work with churches, both the Catholic Church, the Homes of Christ, the Evangelical Church, the village priests, Cáritas, and the third sector to provide help and containment.
News in development