It is very discouraging that the new pope was at the very best a passive ally of the brutal torturers in the "Dirty War" in Argentina. An exerpt from a longer article. http://consortiumnews.com/2013/03/13/dirty-war-questions-for-pope-francis/ Hopefully some of his trumpetted good works wrt to physically caring for aids victims represent some contrition and spiritual growth. ********** What one did not hear from any senior member of the Argentine hierarchy was any expression of regret for the church’s collaboration and in these crimes. The extent of the church’s complicity in the dark deeds was excellently set out by Horacio Verbitsky, one of Argentina’s most notable journalists, in his book El Silencio (Silence). “He recounts how the Argentine navy with the connivance of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, now the Jesuit archbishop of Buenos Aires, hid from a visiting delegation of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission the dictatorship’s political prisoners. Bergoglio was hiding them in nothing less than his holiday home in an island called El Silencio in the River Plate. “The most shaming thing for the church is that in such circumstances Bergoglio’s name was allowed to go forward in the ballot to chose the successor of John Paul II. What scandal would not have ensued if the first pope ever to be elected from the continent of America had been revealed as an accessory to murder and false imprisonment. “One would have thought that the Argentine bishops would have seized the opportunity to call for pardon for themselves and put on sackcloth and ashes as the sentences were announced in Córdoba but that has not so far happened. “But happily Their Eminences have just been given another chance to express contrition. Next month the convicted murderer Videla will be arraigned for his part in the killing of Enrique Angelelli, bishop of the Andean diocese of La Rioja and a supporter of the cause of poorer Argentines. He was run off the highway by a hit squad of the Videla régime and killed on 4th August 1976 shortly after Videla’s putsch. … “Cardinal Bergoglio has plenty of time to be measured for a suit of sackcloth – perhaps tailored in a suitable clerical grey – to be worn when the church authorities are called into the witness box by the investigating judge in the Angelelli case. Ashes will be readily available if the records of the Argentine bishops’ many disingenuous and outrightly mendacious statements about Videla and Angelelli are burned.” Now, instead of just putting forward Bergoglio’s name as a candidate for Pope, the College of Cardinals has actually elected him. Perhaps the happy-talking correspondents from the U.S. news media will see no choice but to join in the cover-up of what Pope Francis did during the “dirty war.” Otherwise, they might offend some people in power and put their careers in jeopardy. In contrast to the super-upbeat tone of American TV coverage, the New York Times did publish a front-page analysis on the Pope’s conservatism, citing his “vigorous” opposition to abortion, gay marriage and the ordination of women. The Times article by Emily Schmall and Larry Rohter then added: “He was less energetic, however, when it came to standing up to Argentina’s military dictatorship during the 1970s as the country was consumed by a conflict between right and left that became known as the Dirty War. He has been accused of knowing about abuses and failing to do enough to stop them while as many as 30,000 people were disappeared, tortured or killed by the dictatorship.”
Here's the flipside. No one really knows what's true, except presumably the people directly involved. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2013/03/francis_on_the_dirty_war.php?ref=fpblg At least two cases directly involved Bergoglio. One examined the torture of two of his Jesuit priests — Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics — who were kidnapped in 1976 from the slums where they advocated liberation theology. Yorio accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the death squads by declining to tell the regime that he endorsed their work. Jalics refused to discuss it after moving into seclusion in a German monastery. Both men were freed after Bergoglio took extraordinary, behind-the-scenes action to save them — including persuading dictator Jorge Videla’s family priest to call in sick so that he could say Mass in the junta leader’s home, where he privately appealed for mercy. His intervention likely saved their lives, but Bergoglio never shared the details until Rubin interviewed him for the 2010 biography. Bergoglio — who ran Argentina’s Jesuit order during the dictatorship — told Rubin that he regularly hid people on church property during the dictatorship, and once gave his identity papers to a man with similar features, enabling him to escape across the border. But all this was done in secret, at a time when church leaders publicly endorsed the junta and called on Catholics to restore their “love for country” despite the terror in the streets. Rubin said failing to challenge the dictators was simply pragmatic at a time when so many people were getting killed, and attributed Bergoglio’s later reluctance to share his side of the story as a reflection of his humility.
Major, if Rubin the biographer was approved of by the now pope he would not be the most credible source to relay what really happened. Of course you could always say the pope was "pragamatic" to not challenge the v dictator. Now the previous guy Benedict was a young man when he did not challenge going into the Nazi Army so I would give him more slack. It is doutful that the most powerful Catholic Church person in Buenos Aires was at great risk from the dictator. The new pope is also very close if not a member of an arch conservative group which is like Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation.
FOX: Well, that's true. I have a whole chapter on them in my book on The Pope's War. And it's scary because they are so prominent in the Catholic Church today. They're appointing Opus Dei cardinals and bishops all over South America, and now in North America as well. And Escriva, who was a fascist Spanish priest who started Opus Dei, they rushed him into canonization faster than any saint in history, and they ignored all the people who were opposed to him who saw his dark and shadow side, his sexism, the fact that he praised Hitler--let me say that again--he's praised Hitler, and they tell us he's in Heaven. I don't know what that means. But, yeah, Opus Dei needs to be watched. And they're everywhere. They're very strong in the American media. They're very strong--they were very strong in the CIA and the FBI. The biggest spy in American history who gave away more secrets than anyone, got more of our spies murdered than anyone else, is now in jail, I think, for life because he ran free in the FBI for 20 years and giving away all these secrets--went to mass every day of the week, but meanwhile he was, I think, very treasonous. So Opus Dei is scary. [crosstalk] JAY: And you're saying Pope Francis is a member of something like Opus Dei. You're saying Pope Francis is--. From an ex Cahtolic priest and theologian, now an Episcopalian priest, after being excommunicated by Pope Benedict. A very interesting interview. FOX: No, he wasn't a member of Opus Dei. JAY: No, something like it, you're saying. FOX: He was close to the Communion and Liberation. And they are another version that's close to Opus--. Opus Dei began in Spain. Communion and Liberation is a more recent group. They began in Italy. And they are less secretive than Opus Dei. That's one reason we know he was part of it, because Opus Dei tends to be very secretive about who is in and who isn't. I don't want to lock him down just to Communion and Liberation, but it is part of his history and it has to be looked at carefully and critically. http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=9868
An interesting interview with Matthew Fox an theologian and ex priest who was excommunicated by Pope Benedict and is now an Episcopaliann priest. FOX: Well, that's true. I have a whole chapter on them in my book on The Pope's War. And it's scary because they are so prominent in the Catholic Church today. They're appointing Opus Dei cardinals and bishops all over South America, and now in North America as well. And Escriva, who was a fascist Spanish priest who started Opus Dei, they rushed him into canonization faster than any saint in history, and they ignored all the people who were opposed to him who saw his dark and shadow side, his sexism, the fact that he praised Hitler--let me say that again--he's praised Hitler, and they tell us he's in Heaven. I don't know what that means. But, yeah, Opus Dei needs to be watched. And they're everywhere. They're very strong in the American media. They're very strong--they were very strong in the CIA and the FBI. The biggest spy in American history who gave away more secrets than anyone, got more of our spies murdered than anyone else, is now in jail, I think, for life because he ran free in the FBI for 20 years and giving away all these secrets--went to mass every day of the week, but meanwhile he was, I think, very treasonous. So Opus Dei is scary. [crosstalk] JAY: And you're saying Pope Francis is a member of something like Opus Dei. You're saying Pope Francis is--. From an ex Cahtolic priest and theologian, now an Episcopalian priest, after being excommunicated by Pope Benedict. A very interesting interview. FOX: No, he wasn't a member of Opus Dei. JAY: No, something like it, you're saying. FOX: He was close to the Communion and Liberation. And they are another version that's close to Opus--. Opus Dei began in Spain. Communion and Liberation is a more recent group. They began in Italy. And they are less secretive than Opus Dei. That's one reason we know he was part of it, because Opus Dei tends to be very secretive about who is in and who isn't. I don't want to lock him down just to Communion and Liberation, but it is part of his history and it has to be looked at carefully and critically. http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=74&jumival=9868
I agree - that's why I say no one knows what's really true. There are no sources at all in the first article in the original post - just lots of accusations and innuendo; and the interview is with someone promoting a book and was kicked out of the Catholic Church. So all around, these sources have biases and potential agendas.
An institution as old as the papacy has had far worse characters than this. And I'm not sure to what extent a private citizen can stop government action, nor how a publicly known one can do so safely.
While it is true that he is against gay marriage and abortion (most Christian leaders are), he is also a huge supporter of the rights of the poor and was very politically active until Pope John Paul II reigned him in. He has also showed compassion for HIV positive victims. He is not in Opus Dei, as far as I know. It is also not this shadowy X-Files like organization either.
Yes, he is definitely against priests being allowed to marry, and gay rights, but he is exceedingly outgoing with his compassion to the poor, and he actually went and washed the feet of AIDS patients in the hospital. I disagree with a lot of his stances, but I admire his compassion, and work towards the poor and less fortunate.
