Today I Learned

Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has traveled to Rome to meet with Pope Francis. While Archbishop of Buenos Aires, he famously clashed with her over same-sex "marriage" and birth control.  So today's news is that no punches were thrown, as if the Vatican were just another set for this week's episode of Girls Behaving Badly.  She was invited to lunch, another break with precedent.

But then, via Rocco Palmo:

Perhaps most sweetly of all, the head of state came bearing a favorite gift for Papa Bergoglio – a traditional Argentine gourd of maté: the tea-like herbal drink of which Francis is especially fond, and took to enjoying on the spot.

As longstanding Vatican protocol forbids the Pope being seen consuming anything but the Eucharist, well, there goes another one.

It's quite difficult to appear dignified while eating.  The point of politicians being photographed downing a pastrami sandwich is not that they appear dignified, but that they appear to be just like me.