Pope refuses donation from Argentine president, cites number '666'
June 15, 2016
Pope Francis has refused a charitable donation from Argentina's President Mauricio Macri, noting that the check included the number 666, associated with the Antichrist.
Macri had sent 16,666,000 Argentine pesos-- about $1.2 million-- for Scholas Occurentes, an educational charity based in Buenos Aires that the Pope supports. In a note the Pontiff said: "I don't like the 666."
A spokesman for the Argentine president denied that the odd sum was intended as a deliberate affront to the Pontiff. He said that the figure represented the budget of Scholas Occurentes, and the organization had made a request for that amount.
The bizarre exchange reflects the tensions that have marked the relationship between Pope Francis and the political leadership of his native country.
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Posted by: Bveritas2322 -
Jun. 19, 2016 3:07 PM ET USA
The biggest problem with Francis is his undeniable adolescent shallowness reflected in a know-it-all personality that is even capable of approval for the Obama administration's agreement to allow Iran to build nuclear weapons, not to mention his inclinations to discourage conversions to Catholicism. This is an indication that the Church needs to become more vigorous at delivering authentic Catholic witness, regardless that she no longer has leadership from the top.
