Pope Francis refused the donation given by Argentine President Mauricio Macri because the sum contained the figures 666, according to reports.
The Argentine president made a donation of 16,666,000 pesos (less than $1.2m) for the Argentine educational foundation supported by the Vatican, Scholas Occurentes. However, Francis reportedly wrote to the foundation instructing to return the money.
“I don’t like the 666,” the pope was quoted by the Vatican Insider as saying, as reported by The Guardian.
The Guardian further reports that two weeks ago, according to a Vatican Insider – a publication specializing in papal affairs published by the Italian newspaper La Stampa – Francis wrote to the Argentinian branch of the foundation, asking them to return the money. In a postscript, he wrote: “I don’t like the 666.”
According to Telegraph, an unnamed government official explained to a local outlet that the amount was a sum total based on the computation of the foundation’s headquarters in Buenos Aires, the salaries of its 36 employees, and building expenses. The source also added that they were only following the request made by the organization itself but unfortunately the pope was left uninformed about it.
Macri’s side claimed that they did not perceive the pope’s rejection of the money as offensive.
“There is no animosity towards the president,” Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra said.
“It was a very rich, very natural conversation, with no calling of accounts or enormous philosophical differences,” she added.
However, critics of Marci’s administration find his donation offensive.
“The 16 million didn’t sound good,” Argentinian social activist Juan Grabois told local media.
“Whoever thinks that by giving money, especially public funds to a foundation directly or indirectly linked to Francis, is making a gesture to the pope, is stupid.”
editor@ugchristiannews.com
