Pope Francis: Another Rendezvous With the Argentine President

Pope Francis welcomed Argentine President Cristina Fernandez to the Vatican on March 17, marking the third meeting between the two in a year.

Francis is the first ever pontiff from Latin America. Before becoming pope in March of last year, he was Argentina’s top Roman Catholic leader. This means Francis’s influence over Argentina—and all of Latin America—is perhaps stronger than wielded by any pope before him.

With charismatic Francis at the helm, the Vatican and Europe are strengthening their relationships with the nations of Latin America. Europe needs the abundance of raw materials the Latin America possesses. And, besides economic opportunities, Latin America is drawn to Europe because of the Roman Catholic faith the two continents share.

At present, the United States is still Latin America’s largest trade partner, but its position there has been sliding to make way for stronger ties between Europe and the Latin American nations.

This was an outcome that the Trumpet’s forerunner magazine, the Plain Truth, predicted for decades. The May 1962 issue, for example, said, “the United States is going to be left out in the cold as two gigantic trade blocs, Europe and Latin America, mesh together and begin calling the shots in world commerce.”

The frequency of meetings between Pope Francis and Latin American leaders indicates that this “meshing together” could rapidly accelerate. Continue to watch the economic and religious ties between the Vatican-influenced Europe and the nations of Latin America grow warmer. To understand what Herbert W. Armstrong prophesied concerning this warming relationship, read our free booklet, He Was Right. You can read it online or download your own free hardcopy at theTrumpet.com.