The governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillofheld a private audience today with the Pope Francisco in the Vatican.
The Minister of Government also participated in the meeting, which took place in the morning (early morning in Argentina), Carlos Biancoand the head of the Governor’s Advisors, Cristina Álvarez Rodríguez.
Long requested, the private hearing occurred during hours of political tension, marked by the Base Law that the government achieved Javier Milei in the Senate. Kicillof rejected this project from the beginning, which was sanctioned while the vote was being defined.
Kicillof brought to his meeting with Pope Francis reports on the state of the province of Buenos Aires, due to the impact of the Government’s measures on the productive apparatus and economic activity of Buenos Aires. Sources close to the governor indicated that it was reported as “the social situation is complicated daily”.
The Buenos Aires Minister of Economy, Pablo Lopez, shared the effects of the economic adjustment on the labor market. “The National Government’s recessive plan is destroying registered employment. Between December and March, 95,000 private jobs were lost nationwide. With 37,000 jobs destroyed, the PBA is the most affected: it explains 39% of the general decline”, he wrote in his personal X account.
“Including the public sector, the drop scales to 117,000 registered positions. The recession and withdrawal of the National State hits construction (-55,800) and industry (-12,500) hard. Of the 16 sectors surveyed, 11 reduced personnel between the beginning of management and March of this year,” he added.
It was the first time that Kicillof, who is not a practitioner of the Catholic faith, met the pontiff. Even so, Kicillof maintains a close relationship with Victor “Tucho” Fernándezprefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with whom he has previously worked when Fernández was archbishop of La Plata.
The governor has been participating in religious events, such as the Te Deum of the 25 of May and ceremonies in homage to the Pope, in order to show their affinity with some values promoted by the bishop of Rome. Also in his official speeches he did not hesitate to cite papal documents such as encyclicals. Fratelli tutti, Laudato si’ and Lumen Fidei.
Kicillof decided to travel to Rome with an “austere entourage.” Among his possible companions would have been Carlos BiancoMinister of Government, who has diplomatic experience, and the head of the Governor’s Advisors, Cristina Álvarez Rodríguez.
On the same day, Pope Francis received Monsignor Giordano Piccinotti, titular archbishop of Gradisca, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See; to the cardinal Mauro Piacenza; and moderators of associations of faithful, ecclesiastical movements and new communities.
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