VATICAN CITY, Feb 9, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Argentine President Javier Milei will 
have his first meeting on Sunday with Pope Francis, a compatriot he once 
described as an "imbecile" who "promotes communism".

Milei will attend a mass at the Vatican for the canonisation of Argentina's 
first female saint, 18th-century missionary Mama Antula, over which the 87-
year-old pontiff -- a former archbishop of Buenos Aires -- will preside.

The two men are due to meet during the religious ceremony at St Peter's 
Basilica before a formal audience at the Vatican on Monday morning.

Milei, who has embarked on a deregulation drive, has in the past been sharply 
critical of Pope Francis, a Jesuit who regularly speaks out against 
inequalities caused by the financial markets, while championing the plight of 
the poor.

Before his election last November, Milei -- who describes himself as an 
"anarcho-capitalist" -- referred to the head of the Catholic Church as "the 
evil one," "nefarious," and an "imbecile" who "promotes communism". 

But the two seemed to reconcile when Francis called to congratulate Milei on 
his victory.

During the call, the president invited the pope to visit Catholic-majority 
Argentina, to which the former Jorge Bergoglio has not returned since 
becoming pontiff in 2013.

The pontiff subsequently confirmed his intention to go back, although the 
Vatican has yet to set a date.

- 'Brotherhood' of Argentines -

In January, Milei sent the pope a letter, saying a visit would "result in 
peacemaking and brotherhood for all Argentines, eager to overcome divisions 
and confrontations".

It marked a change from remarks last year, when he accused the pope of 
interfering in politics, and failing to condemn dictators such as Cuba's 
Fidel Castro.

But the pope has brushed off the criticism as rhetoric in the heat of an 
election campaign.

"You have to distinguish a lot between what a politician says in the election 
campaign and what he actually does afterwards," Francis said in an interview 
in December with Mexican channel Televisa.

Despite the two men's different world views -- including on climate change, a 
priority for Francis but for which Milei refuses to blame human activity -- 
they will have concerns in common.

Sergio Rubin, an Argentine journalist and the pope's biographer, said Milei's 
letter had opened the way to a shared approach.

In it, the president advocated protecting "our vulnerable compatriots" while 
applying reforms in a country where annual inflation runs at more than 200 
percent, and where 40 percent of the population lives in poverty.

Rubin told AFP he expected the two men to discuss the "unity of Argentines" 
in a polarised country and how reform "affects those who have the least, so 
the burden is shared equally".

"It seems that the pope will tell (Milei) to take care of the poor, and try 
to create a less confrontational atmosphere in Argentina," he said.

Milei was elected on a wave of anger over decades of economic decline.

But his programme was dealt a major setback earlier this week when a 
controversial deregulatory reform in parliament -- where his party is only 
the third-biggest group -- was sent back for a rewrite.

- Israel visit -

Milei, who is due to arrive in Rome on Friday, is also set to meet with 
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella on 
Monday.

He arrives after visiting Israel this week, where he announced moves to shift 
his country's embassy to Jerusalem -- sparking delight from his hosts but 
anger from Hamas.

Milei is from a Catholic family but has expressed his fascination with 
Judaism and has been studying the Torah.

He has said he regularly consults a rabbi and sees Israel as a "natural" 
ally, along with the United States.

But he said he is not yet considering converting, saying some aspects would 
be "incompatible" with his position as president, such as the mandatory 
Saturday Sabbath day of rest.