Pope Francis Portrait Painting (Photo credit: faithmouse)
Is Pope Francis (formerly known
as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio) a socialist who will allow
liberation theology to infiltrate the Catholic Church? This question,
when posed, caused Sam Gregg, research director at the Action Institute,
a conservative think tank, to chuckle. TheBlaze interviewed Gregg on
Friday to speak further about Francis’ take on poverty and social
justice.
As over-the-top as the aforementioned
curiosity sounds, since the pontiff’s election on Wednesday, some have
quietly been voicing concerns. And there’s no doubt that outlets,
pundits and political observers, alike, have spent the past week
exploring Francis’ background in an effort to better understand where he
stands on the economic front.
A LOVER OF LIBERATION THEOLOGY AND SOCIALISM?
So, what’s the verdict?
Well, it’s clear from his past and
present statements and behaviors that Pope Francis cares deeply about
the poor and that he lives a very humble and — by all accounts — modest
life (he cooked his own meals, took public transportation and decided
not to live in lavish quarters). But how far does this devotion to the
poor go? Is Francis concerned with government structure and taxation or
will he stick firmly to the faith and encouraging believers to help
those in need?
This quest for context and its
associated curiosities, of course, is nothing new. Whenever a new pope
is elected, the public and media, alike, look incessantly for any and
all information that will shed light on the new-found faith leader’s
character and a past actions. And considering that the Catholic Church
has 1.2 billion members across the globe, Pope Francis’ viewpoints
matter, mostly because of the control and influence he will have over
believers.
