A handshake or a hug between two political leaders, between two statesmen, can be a simple protocol gesture or a diplomatic make-up operation. But it can also be the sign of reconciliation and the key that opens a new stage of understanding and concord. The commitment, in front of the flashbulbs, of a willingness to work closely together.
There were many expectations about the meeting that Pope Francis and the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, were going to have at the Vatican. The meeting took place in the context of an exceptional event: the canonization in St. Peter's Basilica of the first Argentinean saint, St. Maria Antonia de Paz y Figueroa.
The country where Francisco and Milei were born is going through a strong economic, political and social crisis. The two dignitaries know it and it weighs on both of them. The desire for dialogue between Church and State is strong, even if it has been marred by a constant tug-of-war.
But beyond the circumstances, the embrace we witnessed that day speaks eloquently, in its simplicity, of the greatness of Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
One does not know to what extent one is capable of forgiving when one has not been strongly offended. The epithets that Milei dedicated to Francis in the past went far beyond insult. It is true that he later asked for forgiveness and that when he uttered them he was in an election campaign. But personally I do not know if I would be so magnanimous as to apologize to anyone who had referred to me in those terms, no matter how much understanding I could dedicate to him. Pope Francis had the genius to disarm Milei with his porteño style, breaking any wall with a nice reference to his hairstyle. Then came the president's request: "May I give you a hug?" And Francis' answer, as a pastor and a father: "Yes, my son, yes".
