Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Good Pope or bad Pope

There is a fairly heated and interesting debate going about the new Pope. Having spent ten years in Argentina, I am being asked what I think. Many in the Argentine are saying that he gave the military government of the mid 70s to early 80s information about two priests who were working in the shanty towns at the time and by withdrawing his protection he exposed them to the torture. They are supposed to have had links to guerrilla groups but this is unlikely. From 1976-1982 over 30000 were "disappeared" and murdered by the Argentine military. These two priests (Father Yolio and Father Yalies) were arrested in May 1976, detained and tortured for 6 months. Horacio Verbitsky, director of the Centre for Social and Legal Studies, wrote an articles accusing him of collaboration with the Argentine Military and not doping enough to advocate on behalf of those arrested and tortured by the military. However, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and well known social activist, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, has said that he (Bergoglio) did not have ties to the military. He is also known as a humble, simply living and quiet man always open to dialogue. He lives in a simple apartment, not in the palace; he cooks his own meals; he has spoken up on behalf of the poor, the sick and has even scolded priests who refused to baptise the babies of single mothers. He doesn't like Liberation theology--believing it to be tainted by Marxism--but is a strong advocate on behalf of the poor and concerned for justice. How will he turn out I wonder. It turns out this man It seems that the attitude people are taking depend on their already decided views.

No comments: