Argentine President-elect Javier Millais (53), a far-right activist who used harsh words such as ‘damn communist’, ‘devil’, and ‘piece of shit’ towards Pope Francis (87), the first pope from his country during the presidential election, received a congratulatory phone call from the Pope on the 21st. His attitude changed 180 degrees. Throughout the phone call, he used the extreme title “Holy Holiness” used to address the Pope and also requested a visit to his home country.
According to local media outlets such as Lanacion, President-elect Millais and the Pope spoke on the phone for about eight minutes that day. President-elect Millais told the Pope, “I recognize that there is a task to do in eradicating poverty and deprivation. “He will work strongly to eradicate child poverty and improve education.” He also asked the Pope, who has not visited his home country even once since his ascension in 2013, to come to Argentina.
The Pope responded, “I will pray for you. “We must face the new era with wisdom and courage,” he said. However, regarding his visit to Argentina, he only said, “I’ll see you (someday).”
Both President-elect Millay and the Pope are descendants of Italian immigrants. Additionally, according to ‘The World Factbook 2020’ published by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), approximately 63% of Argentine citizens are Catholic. However, President-elect Millay, who has claimed to be an anti-communist, continued to ridicule the Pope, saying, “He is like the devil spreading communism,” because he emphasizes the need to help the socially disadvantaged. Some young Argentine priests were enraged by this and even held a mass in support of the Pope this September, saying, “We cannot stand by candidate Millay, who frequently abuses the Pope.”
Pope Francis, who took office in 2013, is the first pope from the New World and the Southern Hemisphere. From his days as an ordinary priest, he has emphasized the importance of social justice.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.