As part of the conference “From Jorge to Francisco, from Argentina to the World”, organized by the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue in Rome, AMIA proposed to Leon Gieco to sing to Pope francesco, in the Vatican, “I only ask God”. After the act, the Pontiff surprised his more than one hundred compatriots present with a sentence: “If we Argentines don’t pray for each other, we’re fried”.

“God manifests himself in all cultures, he is the father of all”, Francis recalled, reiterating the importance of dialogue, “but not dialogue with the mirror, but with reality and with respect”.

And he added: “I thank you for your commitment and I ask you to pray for me, each one in his own language and gestures, I need it. If we Argentines don’t pray for each other, we’re done for.”

León Gieco, 71, sang in front of the Pope, accompanied by more than one hundred Argentines of various faiths, from the world of justice, politics, work, art and education. “Today I had a different and very particular experience,” said the singer on his social networks.

Gieco’s performance closed the congress organized by Institute for Interreligious Dialogue (IDI), an entity that Jorge Bergoglio promoted when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires more than 20 years ago. He was in front of more than 100 Argentines, including, for example, the judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, Ricardo Lorenzetti.

Bergoglio had promoted the institute together with three friends: his former spokesman, the priest Guillermo Marcó, Rabbi Daniel Goldman and the Muslim leader Omar Abboud. “The aim of AMIA’s proposal was to be able to tell from an artistic expression – in this case music – all the work that the IDI has done since its formation”, said Gieco.

The congress that took place on Thursday and Friday was attended by the Spanish cardinal Miguel Ayuso – president of the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue – and more than one hundred Argentines. In various sessions and with expert speakers, he addressed central themes of the pontificate: environment and suburbs, migrants, education, work culture, interreligious dialogue.

In a brief intervention to thank the more than 100 Argentines present for having taken part in that meeting and for the visit to the Vatican, Francis underlined the importance of interreligious dialogue and recalled that as a child, despite always having Jewish friends at school, he there was no current opening.

When it was time to say goodbye, Gieco, with guitar and harmonica, and without getting up from his seat in the front row, very close to the Pope, as he had been told by protocol, sang his classic “I only ask God”.