Posted on 03/14/2013 7:29:57 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
We have a new pope! Pope Francis I, formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, is the first Latin American pope, and indeed the first pope not from Europe or Northern Africa.
While considered a long shot in the betting markets — correcting for bookie profit, Paddy Power gave him a 2 percent chance, and Betfair a 0.7 percent chance, last I checked — he was widely considered the runner-up in the 2005 race for pope, a fact confirmed by leaked diaries after the fact.
He also has one of the more interesting political records of any of the papabili. When Argentine president Cristina Fernández Kirchner fought successfully to legalize same-sex marriage, he vehemently opposed the move, stating, “This is no mere legislative bill. It is a move by the father of lies to confuse and deceive the children of God.”
According to National Catholic Reporter’s John Allen, the new pope steered clear of liberation theology — a branch of Catholic social thought which emphasizes the importance of reforming capitalist structures that disadvantage the poor — even as many of his peers in Latin America were embracing it. (Allen also notes that in 2005, Francis was accused by a human rights lawyer of helping the ruling junta in Argentina of kidnapping two liberal Jesuit priests who were subsequently “disappeared” as part of the government’s “Dirty War” against leftists in 1976. Francis denied the charges.)
But Francis also seems to be an opponent of austerity, most notably during his time as spiritual leader of Argentina when the country defaulted on its debt in 2002. A paper by Thomas Trebat, “Argentina, the Church, and Debt,” details the church’s role in the crisis’s resolution. Argentine bishops, including Francis, had long criticized the laissez-faire policies of Carlos Menem,
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Sounds about as good as we could have hoped for. I was waiting to hear that he was a Chavista.
In as much as Marx meant “the free market” when he used the word “capitalist” there are no free market structures that disadvantage the poor. Actually, the free market places the poor at an advantage over any other market system.
The poor are the least likely to be able to influence or control government. Every move away from the free market is acutally anti-poor and pro-poverty. Innovation is the way to knock market leaders off their perch.
The economic forms that Catholic missionaries encountered in the 3rd world are all oligarchies and crony capitalism in which legalized theft is the norm. The poor, being without political, legal or market power are disadvantaged in highly regulated systems. They cannot “work the system”.
The economic forms that Catholic missionaries encountered in the 3rd world are all oligarchies and crony capitalism in which legalized theft is the norm. The poor, being without political, legal or market power are disadvantaged in highly regulated systems. They cannot “work the system”.
Can he be Pope Francis I? Isn’t he Pope Francis?
In all reality, almost any Cardinal from the third/second world was going to have a left of center bent (see Turkson). Actually Benedict did too. JPII was probably the most free market leaning having lived through communism.
It doesn't sound that good to me. This Pope seems to be known for his "social justice" positions. Argentina has a history of defaulting on its debt. Their problem is TOO MUCH government spending to create "social justice" From the article:
How involved Pope Francis will be in the austerity debates in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere remains to be seen. But if the record of him and other Argentine leaders is any indication, he won’t look too kindly to cuts in social spending.
So the Pope is basically a big government liberal. His positions, and largely that of the Catholic Church in general, are old school populist left on economics combined with social conservatism on things like abortion. This does not sound very good. A pope like this, depending upon how outspoken he is, could set back free market movements for generations.
RE: Can he be Pope Francis I? Isn’t he Pope Francis?
Of course, he is Pope Francis, and that’s what English speakers call him.
I have to admit I cringe a little when I heard that Pope Francis was concerned with “Social Justice” because it usually means “Government Program” and “Wealth Redistribution”
It really depends on the meaning one puts into that term.
From what little I have read so far, Francis tends to see it in terms of Social Christian outreach and involvement, which is absolutely in line with Biblical principles of taking personal responsibility to reach out and help those who are poor, sick and disabled.
We’ll have to see....
From what I am reading he opposed cutting social welfare programs in Argentina in an effort to deal with their debt/default problems.
This Pope sounds like a social conservative and an economic leftist (though not a communist). This is actually very common in South America. It used to common in the US. Old time Democrats (particularly in the South) tended to have these views.
I’m sure the Pope is a good man with the best of intentions, but if he is out there pushing “social justice” you can bet it will mean big government welfare programs. Catholics just do not seem to understand that free markets create wealth and lift people out of poverty, not the nanny state.
What I mean is, until there is a second Francis he should not be referred to as the first.
I was afraid of that. He believes that goods are "distributed". They are earned. Big difference.
It's euphemistic phrasings like this that make me barf when I read papers like the WaPo.
I think you’ve got the new Pope pegged.
And certain non-Catholics do not seem to understand Catholic Social Justice, as opposed to general cultural ideas among conservatives of what it is, yet babble on embarrassingly like they are experts on the matter. Get a clue. Read documents of The Church to learn about The Church, not some Ayn Rand forum.
RE: but if he is out there pushing “social justice” you can bet it will mean big government welfare programs.
As long as he does not speak ex-cathedra on economic policy, there will be room for disagreements with Francis within the Roman Catholic church.
“And certain non-Catholics do not seem to understand Catholic Social Justice, as opposed to general cultural ideas among conservatives of what it is, yet babble on embarrassingly like they are experts on the matter. Get a clue. Read documents of The Church to learn about The Church, not some Ayn Rand forum.”
Would you be willing to provide a link for interested non-Catholics to learn about this aspect of Roman Catholic teaching? You assert that the words “social justice” in the Catholic Church means something different than what is understood in the common vernacular.
Perhaps as you understand this, rather than condemn the justifiable concerns of the non-Roman Catholics, you would be willing to educate and reach out rather than to condemn them for concerns....which presumably you share vis-a-vis the issue many here understand about “social justice.”
Thank you in advance for your gracious response.
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Bookmarked for later.
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