Originally published at National Catholic Register
During the conversation, which covered various topics, the pontiff showed interest in the situation in Argentina.
Pope Francis on Monday received the vice president of Argentina, Victoria Villarruel, in a meeting in which they discussed the situation in the country and exchanged gifts.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, took place in the library of the Apostolic Palace in an atmosphere of “great affection,” according to the official statement.
Villarruel, who is also the president of the Senate, shared a video on X that showed the moment the Pope greeted her with a cordial “Nice to see you.” With his usual sense of humor, he responded to the question “How are you?” by saying: “Very well, still alive. Are you surviving?” Villarruel replied: “I’m so happy to see you standing,” alluding to the Pope’s recent public appearances in a wheelchair.
During the conversation, which covered various topics, the pontiff showed interest in the situation in Argentina and thanked her for the visit, to which Villarruel responded: “Thank you, Holy Father, for receiving me.”
The vice president gave the Pope a statuette of a horse with its foal and a Spanish sweet. Francis, for his part, gave her a
