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Pope Francis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jorge Mario Bergoglio 17 December 1936 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Died | 21 April 2025 Vatican City State |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Political orientation | Catholicism Christian democracy Liberalism |
Jorge Mario Bergoglio (17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was the head of the Catholic Church as Pope Francis from 2013 to 2025. Being born in Argentina, Francis was the first pope from the southern hemisphere. Despite his continued advocacy for many reactionary positions, in his lifetime, Francis was considered relatively progressive compared to previous popes.
Biography
Jesuit
In 1976, when Argentina was under the CIA-backed junta of Jorge Videla, two priests named Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics were kidnapped and tortured by the Argentine navy for espousing liberation theology.[1] After the incident, Yorio accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the junta and letting them be tortured.[1]
Pope
Views
Colonialism
On 30 March 2023, Francis officially repudiated the so-called "doctrine of discovery," which refers to the teaching—espoused by popes in the 15th century—that European Christians had the right to colonize the Americas.[2] Francis condemned the centuries of Genocide of the indigenous peoples of the Americas allowed by the doctrine of discovery, saying that "It is only just to recognize these errors, acknowledge the terrible effects of the assimilation policies and the pain experienced by indigenous peoples, and ask for pardon."[2]
LGBT+
Francis used the term "gender theory" to refer to the idea that transgender people are the gender they identify as.[3] He claimed that teaching this "gender theory" in schools was "ideological colonisation" and part of a "global war" against marriage.[3]
Marxism
While Francis said that "many Marxists" he met were "good people" in a 15 December 2013 interview with La Stampa, he nevertheless said that "Marxist ideology is wrong" and that Catholic criticism of "trickle-down" economics is not Marxist:
The Marxist ideology is wrong. But I have met many Marxists in my life who are good people, so I don’t feel offended. … There is nothing in the Exhortation that cannot be found in the social Doctrine of the Church. I wasn’t speaking from a technical point of view, what I was trying to do was to give a picture of what is going on. The only specific quote I used was the one regarding the “trickle-down theories” which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and social inclusiveness in the world. The promise was that when the glass was full, it would overflow, benefitting the poor. But what happens instead, is that when the glass is full, it magically gets bigger nothing ever comes out for the poor. This was the only reference to a specific theory. I was not, I repeat, speaking from a technical point of view but according to the Church’s social doctrine. This does not mean being a Marxist.
— Pope Francis[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brian Murphy and Michael Warren (2013-03-13). "Pope Francis: Simple image, complex past" Associated Press.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
- "Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery”" (2023-03-30). Holy See Press Office. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30.
- Richard Becker (2023-04-02). "Vatican renounces ‘Doctrine of Discovery.’ When will Supreme Court do likewise?" Liberation News. Archived from the original on 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Philip Pullella (2016-10-02). "Pope says respect gays and transsexuals, questions gender theory" Reuters. Archived from the original on 2016-10-02.
- ↑ "Pope Francis addresses Marxism charges, women cardinals in La Stampa interview" (2013-12-15). The Catholic World Report. Archived from the original on 2017-12-03.