The meeting will take place this Friday at 3 PM, when the diplomatic representative presents their letters of credence. The meeting is part of the preparations for the future visit of Pope Leo XIV to the country
The Argentine Republic is going through a stage of renewed closeness with the Vatican, marked by a close working agenda based on shared values. This Friday, the country takes a decisive step in rebuilding its deepest spiritual and diplomatic ties, laying the groundwork for an event that society has been calling for decades: the first visit of Pope Leo XIV to his homeland.
This Friday at 3 PM, President Javier Milei will receive the new apostolic nuncio, Monsignor Michael Wallace Banach, at the Casa Rosada, who will present his credentials and will be formally accredited as the diplomatic representative of the Holy See.
Michael Wallace Banach
The ceremony, which will take place alongside Chancellor Pablo Quirno, represents the conclusion of the accreditation process and the beginning of a new stage of "deep closeness and fraternal dialogue" between both States.
This meeting is the cornerstone for accelerating the organization of the papal tour, projected for the second week of November. The logistical deployment has already begun with the formation of three working commissions that will coordinate the pastoral, protocol, logistical, and security aspects.
From the Government and the Foreign Ministry, it is emphasized that "Argentina and the Holy See reaffirm the strong historical ties and mutual affection", a sentiment that will materialize in a South American tour that would also include Peru and Uruguay.
The new ambassador of the Holy See, Monsignor Banach, is a career diplomat of American origin, born on November 19, 1962 in Worcester, Massachusetts.
President Javier Milei and Pope Leo XIV
He holds a Doctorate in Canon Law and has extensive experience in papal representations in Bolivia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Hungary. Specifically in Hungary, Banach played a starring role in organizing Pope Francis' visit in 2023, an experience he now brings to the management of Javier Milei.
Upon his arrival in the country on July 22, where he was welcomed at the Ezeiza airport by the Secretary of Worship, Agustín Caulo, and the highest authorities of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Marcelo Colombo and Raúl Pizarro, the nuncio has maintained a low-profile agenda to outline the objectives for the coming months.
As part of his official presentation to the faithful, the Church is preparing a concelebrated mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires, the date of which will be confirmed soon. With the formalization of his mission this Friday, the path is cleared for the Vatican to confirm, in the coming weeks, the definitive itinerary for the return of the Supreme Pontiff to an Argentina that is once again embracing hope.
