Pope meets Argentine president

March 18, 2013 - Pope Francis on Monday put his diplomatic skills to the test, meeting for the first time a head of state, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina, his homeland. Holy See’s spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi told reporters that the two leaders met privately for some 20 minutes at the Casa Santa Martha hostel for the clergy inside Vatican City, where the Pope is temporarily residing until his apartment in the Apostolic Palace is ready. Later, Pope Francis and President Cristina had lunch together at Santa Martha. The meeting took place on the eve of the inauguration of Pope Francis’ pontificate.
Until his election as pontiff, Cardinal Jorge Bergolio was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The Argentine Church has clashed over the government’s socially liberal policies. Fernandez and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner, defied church teaching to push through a series of measures with popular backing in Argentina, including mandatory sex education in schools, free distribution of contraceptives in public hospitals, and the right for transsexuals to change their official identities on demand. Argentina in 2010 became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages.