Macri after greeting Francis: ‘I’m speechless’

Buenos Aires City Mayor Mauricio Macri met Pope Francis in Saint Peter’s Cathedral at Vatican City yesterday, along with his wife Juliana Awada and revealed that the pope had greeted him after his installment. “Even though I was not part of the national government’s official delegation group, him not forgetting about me was very moving,” said Macri. The mayor added that his wife was “very moved,” in a radio interview. Macri said that the pope had “thanked him” for attending, which astounded the mayor because thousands of people were grateful for just being there and he said that to him. The Pope also reproached him for not coming with his baby daughter Antonia to visit him. “I told him that next time, I will take my daughter.”

Macri commented to the Pope that he hoped his installment would open the way towards “conciliation” between Argentines, saying that it was a “perfect moment” to unite the country. He praised the warmth displayed by the former cardinal in the greetings he gave to people after his consecration ceremony. Macri said that he had been so filled with emotion that he had forgotten what to say, “I’m speechless, I even forgot to ask when he was planning to travel to Buenos Aires,” the mayor said.

Macri said that his meeting with the pope was made possible by Bishop García, who had asked the mayor to follow him to where the other political officials were waiting to be greeted by Francis. “I ended up only four meters behind the Pope, while he walked and greeted people,” Macri said.” The mayor had tweeted about the event, posting a picture of the ceremony with the phrase “with much emotion, on a historical day.”

Herald with Ambito.com, DyN