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Pope Francis a modest moderniser
POPE Francis, the first pontiff from Latin America, is an austere Jesuit intellectual who modernised Argentina’s conservative Catholic church.
Known until Wednesday as Jorge Bergoglio, the 76-year-old is a humble man who denied himself the luxuries that previous Buenos Aires cardinals enjoyed.
Initially trained as a chemist, Bergoglio taught literature, psychology, philosophy and theology before taking over as Buenos Aires archbishop in 1998. He became cardinal in 2001, when the economy was collapsing, and won respect for blaming unrestrained capitalism for impoverishing millions of Argentinians.
He came close to becoming pope last time, reportedly gaining the second-highest vote total in several rounds of voting before he bowed out of the running in the conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI.
Bergoglio often rode the bus to work, cooked his own meals and regularly visited the slums that surround Argentina’s capital.
He considers social outreach, rather than doctrinal battles, to be the essential business of the church.
He accused fellow church leaders of hypocrisy and forgetting that Jesus Christ bathed lepers and ate with prostitutes.
“Jesus teaches us another way. Go out. Go out and share your testimony, go out and interact with your brothers, go out and share, go out and ask. Become the Word in body as well as spirit,” Bergoglio told Argentina’s priests last year.
His legacy as cardinal includes his efforts to repair the reputation of a church that lost many followers by failing to openly challenge Argentina’s murderous 1976-83 dictatorship.
He also worked to recover the church’s traditional political influence in society, but his outspoken criticism of President Cristina Kirchner couldn’t stop her from imposing socially liberal measures that are anathema to the church, from gay marriage and adoption to free contraceptives for all.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/wor…z2NSf71Gcd
2013-03-13 15:35:10
Source: http://yeoldefalseflag.com/thread-pope-francis-a-modest-moderniser
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