Pope Francis meets Argentine president, smooths tensions

March 18, 2013 23:12

He called her policies an "attack on God's plan.' She described him as "medieval.'But Pope Francis and President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the leader of his native Argentina, kissed and made up Monday '" literally '" at a private meeting at the Vatican.

"Never in my life has a pope kissed me!' Fernandez exclaimed after the encounter, during which she presented the pope with her own token of reconciliation: a mate gourd, which he can use to drink traditional Argentine tea.Fernandez was the first world leader to meet the new pontiff, who before his elevation last week was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires.

Dozens more heads of government and heads of state are due to attend his official installation Tuesday, a ceremony that organizers say could draw as many as a million people to the Vatican. Vice President Joe Biden will represent the United States.

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