Falklands’ dispute: Cristina Fernandez asks the Pope for this ‘holy intervention’
Argentine President Cristina Fernández revealed she asked Pope Francis for his “holy intervention” regarding the Falklands/Malvinas case, during the meeting held Monday in the Vatican which was followed by lunch.
“We exchanged gifts, I gave him a hand-made mate set and a vicuña poncho from Catamarca province so he can be well protected during the Italian winter. Then he gave me a very personal gift which was a white rose that he said it represents Saint Teresa, to whom he prays all the time”, said the Argentine president during a brief encounter with the press at her hotel.
“I encountered a very calm and secured man who was in total peace. Nevertheless, I also met a very concerned man for his upcoming responsibilities”, she said.
“During our dialogue I asked Pope Francis for his holy intervention in the Malvinas case so that Great Britain can understand the resolutions issued by the United Nations calling them (UK) to join Argentina in a negotiating table”, in order to discuss the sovereignty of the Malvinas, South Georgia, and South Sandwich islands in the South Atlantic.
The Argentine leader recalled John Paul II intervention during the conflict of Argentina with Chile over the control of the Beagle channel in the extreme south of the continent, which prevented a major armed conflict between the two countries in 1978.
“Now we are facing another historic opportunity. Both countries have democratic governments and there is no danger of any was, except for the militarization of the South Atlantic”, said Cristina Fernandez.
Likewise, the Argentine president said that Francis praised the “great role” and “unity” that Latin American leaders are showing in order to build ‘La Patria Grande’ (the big motherland).
”He did use the term “Patria Grande”, the president explained and continued “and then he told me he had used that term because it was the term used by our great San Martín and Bolivar”, thus referring to the most emblematic leaders of the independence movement from Spain in Latin America.
As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, the current Pope received many times the Malvinas veterans, organized masses and prayed next to them, and more than once is on record for having stated that “the Malvinas are Argentine”.
Relations between President Cristina Fernandez and then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio have been tense since he was a persistent critic of poverty and political corruption in Argentina. On more than an occasion when Bergoglio requested an interview with the President, she had him in the waiting list and had him again wait when the appointment was agreed.
Furthermore she had a presidential speech writer, Horacio Verbitsky look into the Catholic Church’s activities during the latest dictatorship (1976/1983) and tried to frame Bergoglio with an incident involving Jesuit priests working in shanty towns. The book was titled ‘Silence’ and some excerpts referred to Bergoglio were sent to some of the cardinals at the conclave both when Benedict and Francis were chosen.
The first release from the Argentine presidency in reaction to Bergoglio’s election as a Pope was described as ‘excessively formal and cold”. The attitude was rapidly changed the following day.
The meeting with Pope Francis took place at the Domus Sanctae Marthae in the Vatican City, where he is currently living. Lunch with the pontiff started at 12:50pm (8:50am Argentine time). The original plan contemplated the presence of Argentine Ambassador to the Vatican Juan Pablo Cafiero and Papal Nuncio in Argentina Emil Paul Tscherrig, but then it was changed to a two-person only lunch so Cristina Fernández could have a private exchange with the recently-elected Pope.
However Cristina Fernandez did present the Pope some members of her delegation: Foreign minister Hector Timerman, Ambassador Cafiero, Communications secretary Alfredo Soccimarro and her secretary Martin Aguirre.
The president also invited Pope Francis to visit Argentina any time soon, but said that though Francis could not assure her when he’ll be visiting his home-land, “he told me that he’ll study his agenda and see when he can possibly come over”
Thus, Argentina’s President became the first head of state to hold a private audience with the Pope. The next will be Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff according to the Vatican office.
Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi said there would be no official release on today’s meeting since Cristina Fernandez attendance was an “informal visit” and described the invitation as a “cordial gesture” to Argentina.
The Argentine president is accompanied by an official delegation of 12 members, will also attend Tuesday’s ceremony along with approximately 150 other heads of state, after which she will return to Buenos Aires. Argentina was provided with extra places for its delegation because it is the country of the pope’s origins, as other countries’ leaders will be accompanied by a maximum of four officials.
The Argentine delegation includes Minister Timerman, Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti, Lower House Speaker Julián Domínguez and Radical (UCR) Deputy Ricardo Alfonsín, the latter of whom departed separately on Friday with his wife. Also in the delegation are Argentine Synod head José María Arancedo, Bishop Carlos Alberto Acaputo, who heads the Church’s social-pastoral work team, pro-government CGT umbrella union grouping leader Antonio Caló, taxi-drivers’ union leader Omar Viviani and longshoremen’s union head Omar Suárez.
The delegation was later expanded, with the inclusion of Public Communications Secretary Scoccimarro, Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) President José Ignacio de Mendiguren and Argentine Municipalities Federation head Julio Pereyra (the mayor of Florencio Varela.
Suggested Stories
-
Jun 19th 2013
Malvinas C24 Argentina petitioners: Maria Angelia Vernet and Alejandro Betts
-
Jun 19th 2013
India-Argentina pledge to improve trade; Timerman thanks Delhi support on Malvinas dispute
-
Jun 17th 2013
Falklands’ conflict depicted in opera ‘Allies’ based on Pinochet-Thatcher relationship
-
Jun 16th 2013
Falklands: Irish lawmakers support UN Resolution 2065 and dismiss recent referendum
79 comments Feed
Note: Comments do not reflect MercoPress’ opinions. They are the personal view of our users. We wish to keep this as open and unregulated as possible. However, rude or foul language, discriminative comments (based on ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or the sort), spamming or any other offensive or inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Please report any inadequate posts to the editor. Comments must be in English. Thank you.
2. Are we looking at the same photographs? She looks wrinkled, and she has more slap on her face than a tart touting for business.
3. Neither the Pope or the Catholic Church has any sway in the UK. God's representative on Earth is the Queen of England, Defender of the faith etc...
4. Now that he is Pope, he has bigger fish to fry. The most he will do is suggest that the UK and Argentina talk, which is what we have been willing to do, only it's Argentina that refuses to do so.
“I asked Pope Francis for his holy intervention in the Malvinas case ” The Pope intervening in the 1970s over the islands in the Beagle channel was firstly between two catholic countries, Argentina and Chile, and secondly he intervened because they were about to go to war!
@3
Good points regarding the Beagle channel dispute.
Perhaps someone needs to remind the president of Argentina and the new pontiff that the dispute over the Falklands ended on 12 June 1982 with the Argentine surrender.
As far as Britain in concerned, there is no dispute.
If Argentina has a problem with that then they can take it to the International Court of Justice, otherwise she should STFU, and actually turn her attention to the fact that the country she was elected to President to run, is falling down around her ears.
Lol.
Sincerely, Henry VIII and various glorious descendants.
This is wrong and will cause serious world tension if he is allowed to intervene in what is a dispute that He has publically stated is one that favours the Argentine outcome. CFK is so desperate she will stoop to any low to try and get her way. I say to the democracies of the world do not allow this to happen.
I expect the Pope will have smiled and shown her the door. He knows that even if he was stupid enough to raise the issue he would be slapped down. That wouldn't be a great start would it?
CFK unpacked from a bag some urns, removing the bubble-wrap and passed them to the Pope.
This would be like the British Queen carrying half a dozen Tesco bags - 'bag-lady' style - and rooting around in them to present some 'family ashes' to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Seriously, could you see our Queen doing what CFK did?
There's only 130 or so of them but I'm sure they would make a better fist of it than the Argentine forces in 82.
So Elaine, what have you heard of her health, there is always speculation? I just assumed it was either her ego or not good with be seen with Ahmadinejad. Perhaps she did have thyroid cancer and they just told her ...“my bad” and slowly die. Another CIA assassination plot.
Now that I have calmed down a little from seeing how crazy she has behaved and that the Pope must be above such things I supose all that has happened is that she has once again made a big fat fool of herself on the world stage. I would like to think that the Pope is chuffed that it is she who must now grovel at his feet and kiss his ring (arse).
These two countries, before going to the Pope, went to the Queen of England to resolve this dispute, and Argentina refused to accept her resolution. Is that right?
General feeling is that she has embarrassed the Pope.
@22 I think two devoutly Catholic countries going to the Pope is somewhat different to the Falkland Islands issue. It will never happen.
Is this before, or after he issues a Papal Bull making goals scored by hand ball legal when it’s the hand of God.
Speaking of Papal bull, what’s this talk of the S Georgia/S Sandwich Islands?? I thought Pope Malv the 1st’s predecessor, Pope Alexander VI gave those Islands to Portugal in 1492.
Someone should explain to her about the Reformation, or better still King Billy.
A defeat can be turned into a victory,
[If you learn from past mistakes]
As for CFK and this pope crawling,
Proves once again, that she turns every potential victory into a total defeat,
Because she never ever learns.
The Falklands are British by choice,
They will never be part of the argentine empire
At gunpoint..
.
In Buenos Aires, there are clear signs that the government wants to close the distance with the new pope. Posters have gone up around the city with portraits of Francis and the slogan “The new pope is Latin American and Peronist.”
www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/18/argentina-president-falklands-pope
there are no depths that this woman will not stoop to.
At least he had the good sense to get the dirtiest job out of the way first though.
It shows an appalling lack of understanding by CFK to assume that any Pope would be viewed as a good arbitrator in Britain though. Does this woman know no history at all?
I know that Argentina has been poisoning its children with revisionist history for decades, but don't they learn anything of use?
Britain isnt Catholic majority, we kicked the Pope out centuries ago and hes a frakin Argentine (even if only just) - how the heck will that be “neutral”.
She must be clinically mad...she's certainly clueless...and she's shown she is willing to prostitute herself to anybody and anything for a snifter at sezing the Falklands.
Thank God (haha) that Argentina has no military: this mad-bovine would've be ordering an attack already if they did have one.
--------
“Britain militarizing the entire South Atlantic” - my arse... 4 fighters and a company of troops with support- to keep mad cows like her aware that at least soemwhere democracy is backed-up with force...and its only there because of her countries actions.
Oh, be fair, Argentina has an Army. They just happen to have 104,000 spineless ineffective cowards. Probably something to do with the Italian genes.
Won’t be long before CFK declares this the second coming, then they will all be able to walk across the water to the Malvinas.
Nothing wrong, bad or cowardly about Argentine soldiers Vuggie... they fought well and hard wherever they could... and you have to pity the conscripts and the brutalities they suffered.
You diminish our own troops bravery by ridiculing the then enemy... and many of the Argentine soldiers and airmen fought bravely and honorably.
(The Navy mostly did “Brave, Brave, Sir Robbin” acts though)
Regardless, if they had the capacity I have no doubt that mad-moo CFK would send them in again if there was even the slightest chance of success.
My own troops? It is far from just the British who believe in self-determination for the Falkland Islanders and the totally self-deluded nature of Argentinian claims to what so clearly has always belonged to others.
M
G
How embarrassing!
'These two countries, before going to the Pope, went to the Queen of England to resolve this dispute, and Argentina refused to accept her resolution. Is that right?'
In about 1904 Chile and RGland had KE7 mediate over their border in the southern ice cap.
Interesting she didn't come out and say ' he supports us' just 'I asked' so he obviously said foxtrot oscar.
A mate kit and a vicuna shawl? .. a bit like me giving Anglotino a stuffed 'made in China' koala and some Billy Tea.......
Argentine comment:
Y dar a las Malvinas ... dios, que la fijación. Me pregunto si las Malvinas son de nuevo Argentina, significa que puedo salir por la noche sin miedo? Bajar la inflación? Por las muertes por accidentes de tránsito? Mejora del transporte público? Se termina con la corrupción? Acabamos con la pobreza?
Translates (badly) as:
And give the Malvinas... God, that fixation. I wonder if the Malvinas are Argentine again, it means that I can go out at night without fear? Lower inflation? For deaths from traffic accidents? Improvement of public transport? Does it end with corruption? We end poverty?
An un-assuming nail receives a stout blow to the head.
On her way to or past billionaire status thanks to the generosity of the Argentine people's tax dollars.
Money doesn't buy class though. As this vulgar display has proven beyond doubt.
Most likely '‘holy intervention’' is her getting struck by lightning out of a clear blue sky.....
Ban Ki-Moon & the UN need to man up and sort this idiot out, I really think that if she had the forces to do it she would attempt to invade the islands again she is that desperate. Her & her current government are no better than the junta, they are using the same policy's and the same aggressive rhetoric is being repeated.
Batman--lol
Last year, the cardinal said Argentina was being harmed by demagoguery, totalitarianism, corruption and efforts to secure unlimited power, the Associated Press reports.
Wonder who is the demagogue?
“This would be like the British Queen carrying half a dozen Tesco bags - 'bag-lady' style - and rooting around in them to present some 'family ashes' to the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Seriously, could you see our Queen doing what CFK did?”
Actually, just because I have my pedantic head on at the minute, the Queen would have to offer herself the family ashes because she is Head of State and the Head (Pope) of the Anglican Church, but your point is made.
Francis needs to distance himself from this lunatic woman as soon as possible.
The 1st thing he should do is order the Catholic Church in Argentina to pull down those politicised posters CFK has put up. A Pope is not supposed to be political, he is apolitical, so he can appeal to all sections of Catholic society.
So he cannot be a Peronist, or a Marxist, or a Socialist, or a Conservative, or a Republican, or a Democrat, or a Fascist.
The minute he starts showing political leanings one way or another, his credibility, and by association the Catholic Church's credibility (what little there is left of it after all the scandal), is finished.
It is fair to say, that they did as well as could have been expected of them given the circumstances prevailing.
@46 briton
White smoke Batman, clearly visible over the Falklands.
@49 LEPRecon
No doubt as Pontiff he will try to distance himself (as much as he can) from these earthly matters (and this distasteful woman), but from previous form we already know that underneath the new red socks and Papal gown, beats the heart of an Argentinian Malvinista.
No, they are saving the “Devine Intervention” for use in the recovery of the Malvinas.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whore_of_Babylon
That didn't go well.
falklandsnews.wordpress.com/2013/03/19/cristina-calls-for-holy-intervention/
Said the blind man to the deaf vicar.
He probably just pointed out something she didnt know herself: Britain isnt a Catholic country.
its the little things that always catch them out eh? ;-0
Too right. Popes are ten a penny, Frank is number 266.
Wheres the DoDgyThink show to tell us its all part of the master-plan?
@23 Rooter,
Longshoreman is an American term for a Dockworker or a Wharfie as they say in Australia.
Cristina Fernandez said he requested the “mediation” of the Pope to “achieve dialogue in the Malvinas issue”. And that the request had been made with “a double conviction”. The President recalled the moment “dramatic” and “terrible” in 1978, when Chile and Argentina “were governed by two dictatorships” and were on the verge of war over the sovereignty of the Beagle Channel. At that time, the mediation of Pope John Paul II allowed an agreement that was then “plebiscite in democracy.” Cristina Fernandez noted in this context that the only risk that exists today “is the militarization that the UK is having on the South Atlantic.” Consequently, “as Argentina is a peaceful country, all I want is to meet the many UN resolutions to sit down to dialogue: this is what we ask the Holy Father. His mediation to achieve a dialogue between the parties. ”It is recalled that some time ago Bergoglio said “Falklands ours.”
Further evidence that Argentina seeks dialogue and peace under international law and the resolutions of the UN General Assembly (2065) and the committee of United Nations decolonization.
World public opinion welcomes this proposal, because unfortunately UK remains committed to the power of weapons, violence and colonialism and imperialism of the 21st century.
Welcome then this contribution to peace and dialogue.
Hahhahah, your so funny! What about the binding resolutions telling argentina to get out of the islands? The UN will always say “talk about it” it is meaningless.
Argentina the land taken from the native indians!! Give it back you deluded bell end!
WTF anyone who knows about the mad cows rants must be sick to death of her, she pesters everyone she meets on the diplomatic circuit and twists their words and out right lies that they support her stupid crusade to annex & colonise the islands.
Now she has stooped to new lows when pestering the newly elected pope in his first week in the job. The woman is a menace and the world opinion must be “ oh fuck here's that nut job Argie who keeps talking shite”
I am lucky, I just pop over the border to Paraguay where I can get USD cash from the ATM's. Uruguay also has this option if you're in BA. If you have to go to Argentina be sure to take USD cash, because you won't be able to get any from the banks there (except at the criminal “official” rate) and keep it very close to your body - BA is crawling with very expert pickpockets and motorcycle pillion muggers..! And they carry knives, so don't fight back...many have been killed.
If you can avoid it, then please don't go - its only gonna get worse..!
www.preciodolarblue.com.ar/
had me in stiches,lol. The thing is , it is the truth, they really cant see it can they.
That would be a bit like
FA Cup Final - Chelsea vs Arsenal
Ref - “I've been a Chelsea fan all my life, I hope they do well”
“World public opinion welcomes this proposal”
Even for you this statement must by now now have a “hollow ring” to it, as we say.
Events (or rather the lack of them) have shown that outside S America there is no real support for Argentina on this matter.
Inside S America support is limited to words only (and one meaningless gesture) in most cases, the only one willing to help you is now dead.
And this was before the referendum, now more than enough countries have, and will, accept the result to ensure that the Argentinian argument of an implanted population (always hilariously funny coming from an Argentinian, as the rest of the world knows well) having no rights in this matter, will never be accepted by the UN or any sensible country.
Even an Argentinian and self-confessed malvinista Pope, isn’t going to help you.
You should reflect on that!
that the man upstairs was not a Catholic,
just that.
Pathetic is more like it.
Honest to God thats what happened
jejeje
The difference of being afraid and smart is that Argentina is afraid to try another war to take the Islands because of world opinion and to be smart is that we Islanders and The United Kingdom government will inform the world what Argentina is up to so keeping the situation in a safe context.
The UK will continue to keep troops on the Islands so long as Argentine continues to sabre rattle. That is a fundamental world recognised right that Britain has to protect it’s subjects anywhere in the world.
So long as there is the likes of dictators like Argentina the Falklands will need to be military defended until that government gives up its ridiculous claim to our territory.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!