Pope canonizes Argentina’s first female saint as the country’s libertarian president Milei looks on

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Argentina’s faith and politics have come together at the Vatican. Pope Francis on Sunday canonized the country’s first female saint with Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, sitting in the front row of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Mass marked the first meeting between the Argentine pope and Milei, who once called Francis an “imbecile” for defending social justice. The occasion of their meeting was the canonization of Mama Antula. She was an 18th century laywoman who ministered to the poor and helped keep Jesuit spirituality alive in Argentina after the pope’s own religious order was suppressed.