Elder Quentin L. Cook met in Argentina Wednesday with the country’s leader, President Javier Milei.
“It was a remarkable meeting that could not have been more friendly, warm and engaging,” Elder Cook said in a social media post.
“We talked about many topics, which include the 100th anniversary of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ being preached in South America,” Elder Cook wrote. “How grateful we are for friendly connections with special individuals and leaders across the globe as we strive to build faith in Jesus Christ.”
The Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square arrived in Argentina on Monday as part of its international, multiyear “Songs of Hope” tour.
Elder Cook’s meeting with Milei included Mike Leavitt, president of the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Also in the meeting was the director of Church Hosting, former U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, and Elder Joaquin E. Costa, president of the church’s South America South Area.
“We’re an exclamation point in a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ in South America,” Leavitt said of the choir and orchestra’s tour stop.
The stop includes three concerts. The first was held Tuesday. The others are scheduled for Friday and Saturday. This is the first time the choir has performed in Argentina.
Milei received what is popularly called the Jewish Nobel during a session of Israel’s Knesset on June 11, according to The Associated Press.
The honor, officially called the Genesis Prize, comes with a $1 million award.
Milei and the Genesis Prize Foundation announced last week that his $1 million in prize money will be used to launch a new nonprofit, the American Friends of the Isaac Accords, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Milei is the first head of state to win the prize. He was raised Catholic but his great-great-grandfather was a rabbi.
Latter-day Saint leaders regularly meet with political and other leaders around the world. Church leaders do not endorse political candidates but work with national and international leaders on projects ranging from humanitarian aid to education and more.
Elder Cook and other apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ have met with political and religious leaders around the world.
President Russell M. Nelson, for example, visited with leaders in several countries during a South American ministry tour in 2018.
He also met with Pope Francis at the Vatican in Rome in 2019.