President Javier Milei will depart Buenos Aires on a flight bound for Rome on Thursday night in order to attend the weekend funeral of Pope Francis.
Milei, who clashed in the past with the Argentine pontiff, will represent the nation at his compatriot’s funeral in Rome.
Francis, 88, died Monday at the Vatican. In response, Milei has decreed seven days of mourning, during which all official celebrations will be suspended and national flags will be at half-mast.
leave on Thursday night for Rome to attend the funeral of his compatriot Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88, the government said on Tuesday.
Milei will be accompanied by his sister, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei, at the funeral, his government confirmed in a statement.
Also joining the travelling delegation are Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos, Foreign Minister Gerardo Wethein, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, Human Capital Minister Sandra Pettovello and Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni.
The government did not say if all of the delegation would attend the funeral.
The President and his team are expected to return to the country on Sunday.
Milei, 54, was a fierce critic of Francis prior to taking office in December 2023, once calling him an “imbecile” who “promotes Communism.”
However, he changed his tune after meeting the late pontiff at the Vatican the following year, toning down his subsequent statements.
“Despite differences that today seem minor, to have been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a real honour for me,” Milei wrote in a post on social media shortly after the Catholic leader’s death.
Milei did not attend any of the Mass that took place on Monday at the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral, where the pontiff – then known as Jorge Bergoglio – served archbishop, prior to his appointment as pope in 2013, nor evening services at the Basilica of San José de Flores, in the neighbourhood where Francis was born.
Vice-President Victoria Villarruel – who has a strained relationship with Milei – and Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri were among those who did attend.
– TIMES/AFP
Comments