Thursday Thinking - Francis, A Pope of the Poor

E. J. Dionne, opinion writer for the Washington Post, makes some interesting observations about the new Pope in a column posted yesterday. Dionne, a Catholic himself, says that Bergoglio was a surprising choice for almost everyone, a disappointing choice for those wanting liberal reforms, but a strong and hopeful choice for the world's poor and marginalized.

From Washington Post, March 13--
In winning election as Pope Francis, Jorge Mario Bergoglio defied the papal pundits, even though they should have seen him coming. His rise marks the decisive shift within Roman Catholicism toward Latin America and the developing world. In theological terms, he represents continuity, yet he is the first non-European pope in more than 1,000 years, and also the first Jesuit.

He is a doctrinal conservative who battled gay marriage in Argentina and fellow Jesuits who were more liberal. But he also rebuked priests who denied baptism to children born out of wedlock and has spoken out strongly for social justice. He is the first pope to take the name of the saint known for his devotion to humility and to the poor. He is likely to weigh in often on behalf of the world’s poorest regions.

“We live in the most unequal part of the world, which has grown the most yet reduced misery the least,” Bergoglio told Latin American bishops in 2007. “The unjust distribution of goods persists, creating a situation of social sin that cries out to heaven and limits the possibilities of a fuller life for so many of our brothers.”

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