Vatican City, Jun 3, 2008 / 08:09 am
Leaders from all around the world have gathered in Rome for a meeting on food security with an emphasis on climate change and bio-energy. During the course of the meeting, Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone met with the president of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
The two leaders discussed "various bilateral questions of mutual interest” and agreed to face the challenges in Argentina “through frank dialogue and in an atmosphere of sincere collaboration.”
The role the Catholic Church has played in Argentina over the last several centuries was also acknowledged, along with the “contribution she continues to make in favor of the spiritual and material wellbeing of the Argentinean people.”
A final topic discussed by Cardinal Bertone and President Kirchner was the food crisis experienced in Argentina recently. The crisis was brought about by a strike by farmers and ranchers who were upset over increased taxes levied by the government on their produce.