MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Malvinas affairs official meets with Pope Francis and talks about Falklands' dialogue

Pope Francis and Filmus at the Vatican

Pope Francis showed an interest on the Falklands/Malvinas question negotiations during a meeting on Wednesday at the Vatican with Daniel Filmus chairman of Issues relative to the Malvinas Islands secretariat, according to Argentine sources which gave the event a great coverage. The meeting was in the framework of Wednesdays open audience at St Peter's square, when an estimated 50.000 people attend the ceremony.

 ”The Pope asked how the (Malvinas) secretariat was working and how were we advancing in the Malvinas issue“, said Filmus interviewed at St Peter's by the Argentine government's news agency Telam.

”The Pope insisted in the need to advance in the search for dialogue and I told him that for the Argentine government, the only alternative was to continue working in support of a bilateral dialogue with the UK“, said Filmus who revealed that ”we also talked about the double standards that are displayed when you analyze this kind of cases“.

”We didn't ask the Pope to have an active role; although he is Argentine, he is the Pope of all of us, of everyone. So under no circumstances are we going to ask him to adopt an active role in this issue“.

But ”his holiness was hopeful that Argentina could start a bilateral dialogue in such a way we can reach a peace solution“, added Filmus. In the exchange ”the issue of the double standards cropped up“ said the Argentine official in reference to Cristina Fernandez comments as to how the world powers see the Crimea situation and the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty dispute.

During the meeting Filmus gave the Pope a book on the flora and fauna of Malvinas, and other gifts related to the San Lorenzo football club in Buenos Aires of which both Francis and Filmus are strong supporters.

However according to the Argentine media the gift which was most appreciated by the Pope was a San Lorenzo shirt, sent by the team's players and with an engraving of Francis, to commemorate his first year in the Vatican.

Again according to Telam the meeting of the Pope with the secretary of the Affairs Relative to Malvinas takes place just a few days before Francis meets at the Vatican with Queen Elizabeth, scheduled for 3 April, a day after the anniversary of the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982.

Telam also recalls that only a week ago the Pope met with a group of Malvinas veterans and families who requested his mediation for the construction of a sanctuary or a chapel at the Argentine cemetery in Darwin, where the remains of 237 Argentine combatants are buried. This with the purpose of making ”the dispute space into one of peregrination“.

”It's really a strong signal that only weeks before the Pope meets Queen Elizabeth, he received us. The Pope is a man who acts on gestures and his agenda is determined by him” concluded Filmus who said he was very satisfied and pleased with the meeting.