Bergoglio (Pope Francis) on the sexual trafficking of young women, child homelessness, sweatshops

[Catherina]

Last edited Sat Mar 16, 2013, 09:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Since this is what I do now, Pope Francis just scored major points with me.

The first points he scored are for being vehemently opposed to globalization, neoliberalism, the IMF, the World Bank as instruments of misery, destruction and death and now these words from a mass he said for Society's Victims in 2011.

"In this city, there are many girls who stop playing with dolls to enter the dump of a brothel because they were kidnapped, sold and trafficked. Today we've come to pray for the victims of human trafficking, slave labor trafficking, sexual trafficking for prostitution... Contrary to what we're taught in school, slavery has not been abolished.

"You know what that is? A fairy tale! In this city, slavery is the order of the day in various forms, in this city workers are exploited in sweatshops and, if they're immigrants, they have no way out. In this city, there are kids who've lived on the streets for years. I don't know if the number is more or less, but there are many, and the city failed and continues to fail in any attempt to free them from this structural slavery of homelessness ".

...

"In this city, women and girls are kidnapped and subjected to the use and abuse of their body; they are destroyed in their dignity. The human flesh that Jesus assumed and for which He died is worth less than the flesh of a house-pet. We take better care of a dog than these slaves ours who we kick, who we destroy. I spent a couple of hours with the mother of Marita Verón, who was kidnapped by traffickers and sent to work in brothels. They managed to free 129 other girls, but her daughter still hasn't been found yet" Bergoglio recalled in his homily yesterday.

...

Translated from http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1408890-hay-una-anestesia-en-esta-ciudad-que-se-llama-coima

In 2008, on the Holy Thursday, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio(Pope Francis) washed the feet of 12 recovering drug addicts at a rehabilitation center in Buenos Aires, Argentina(in this Pic).

As Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, in 2001, he visited a hospice to kiss and wash the feet of 12 AIDS patients.

[polly7]

1. Oh, my!

I had no interest in learning about this man ... but this is fantastic to see. Thanks, Catherina.

[Catherina]

2. You're welcome/ I want to learn more too, and most of all, SEE. n/t

[sabrina 1]

25. He sounds wonderful, thank you. His choice of name, Francis, after

a man who dedicated his life to the poor and who loved animals, was a good sign to me and it's good to know he lived his own life as close to that as possible.

His opposition to the IMF and neo-liberalism will have a few of the usual suspects a bit upset I think. Especially in South America and should help to keep those countries moving forward, as they have since Chavez began the process despite what we know will be the extraordinary efforts to stop them from progressing. I was concerned that with Chavez's death the progress made could be undermined. This though should be a big help to keep the dream of freedom and independence from corrupt, right wing, global cartels, alive and well.

[Catherina]

32. I hope so. If all he does is open more eyes

to the horrors of neo-liberalism, and the eternal shackles it imposes on poorer nations/people, I'll be happy.

The need for a "social relationship" was a persistent call in Bergoglio's episcopal documents in recent years. This is an idea he expressed even in the Te Deum that Bergoglio officiated in 2006 when then President Nestor Kirchner was sitting in the front row.

But by the end of that difficult year, the Church and the Government seemed to have found a balance. Bergoglio then invited Cristina Kirchner to a Mass in Luján and the President accepted his invitation.

The calm did not last long. In 2009, Bergoglio made harsh statements against the government. ... One day after the Pope called for an end to the "scandal" of poverty in Argentina, Cardinal Bergoglio echoed that "for years the country hadn't taken care of the people."

http://www.treslineas.com.ar/jorge-bergoglio-kirchner-anos-relacion-tensa-n-829290.html

[jsr]

3. He said pedophiles should be tried:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/15/pope-francis-book-radical-progressive

Pope Francis's book reveals a radical progressive in the making

...Bergoglio appears as a man with a profound social conscience, expressing admiration of some atheist socialists and professing a genuine belief in interfaith dialogue – to the extent that some radical Catholics accuse him of heresy.

He is critical of those who covered up the paedophile scandal that has done so much damage to the church he now leads.

Bergoglio says he has never had to deal with such a case, but when a bishop asked what he should do, he told him the priest should be sacked and tried, that putting the church's reputation first was a mistake.

"I think that is the solution that was once proposed in the United States; of switching them to other parishes," he says. "That is stupid, because the priest continues to carry the problem in his backpack." The only answer to the problem, he adds, is zero tolerance.

[Catherina]

6. Thank you very much, I didn't know this. Another point in his favor. n/t

[Recursion]

4. There are things I like about this guy, no mistake

Taking the name Francis, and specifically saying it was Assisi not Xavier, and then riding a bus back to the hotel to personally tip his staff was a good start. This is an absolutely excellent continuation.

[Catherina]

8. Me too. I totally agree. Of course, only time will really tell

My initial impression is very good



In 2001, Pope Francis, as Cardinal of Buenos Aires, he visited an Argentinian hospice to kiss and wash the feet of AIDS patients. Credit: Adrian Santos / Catolicos_ES

[Recursion]

11. When they said specifically Francis referred to Assisi and not Xavier I was impressed

At first I thought it was a neat way to split the difference; that clarification impressed me.

[Catherina]

13. I stayed out of that argument for my own sanity lol.

I love his choice too.

[BainsBane]

18. I assumed it was Assisi from the beginning

Didn't you? That is the first association one makes with the name of St. Francis.

[Catherina]

27. I assumed it was St Francis of Assisi because of the way he lived

It didn't even cross my mind that he'd pick the name for St Xavier, not that I would have cared if he had.

[Posteritatis]

40. I assumed Assisi, but I would have understood Xavier given Francis' background. (nt)

[glinda]

16. Yes. His statement about "us not having a good relationship with the Planet" was excellent.

[Dawson Leery]

5. This Pope is an improvement over the last one.

Still many flaws and differences.

[Catherina]

22. I think Pope Benedict got a bad rap

but that he made a very wise choice to step aside.

I'm going to look for this encyclical because this is the first I've heard of Pope Benedict advocating a redistribution of wealth. It came as a small shock when I found this:

Pope Benedict also devoted considerable attention to issues of social and economic justice; his third encyclical, "Charity in Truth," included a critique of unfettered free market capitalism, a call for redistribution of wealth and a condemnation of those who seek profits for their own sake rather than to do good for society. Though he is generally thought of as a conservative, his economic views would put him far left of center in an American political context.

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2013-03-14/news/bs-ed-pope-francis-20130314_1_pope-benedict-priests-joseph-ratzinger

[TlalocW]

29. Yeah...

Being the one to make it policy to excommunicate either priests or priests' victims for talking about the church's sexual scandals is a bad rap.

TlalocW

[Dawson Leery]

33. The ratman was let off too easily.

He involved himself in our elections(2004-2012). He ordered American priests to deny Communion and oppose any candidate who supported a woman's right to chose and gay marriage(John Kerry).
This Pope spearheaded the cover-up the sex abuse scandal.

Joseph Ratzinger is s**t.

[snooper2]

7. does he have a nickname yet?

[Paulie]

9. Francis

So far. With the occasional Lighten Up Francis.

[Archae]

10. His rabid hatred of gays gets him the nickname...

Francis the Talking Mule.

[Recursion]

12. He has the same position Obama did 2 years ago

Yes, he's "rabidly hateful"

[Moonwalk]

23. Same as Obama? In which speech did Obama say that any law allowing gays to adopt kids...

...was one created by Satan? (Which, I don't know about you, but translates to me as "evil." Meaning gay parenting must be "evil.&quot I must have missed that one from Obama, as I can't seem to recall it. All I recall is the end of a speech FOUR YEARS AGO where Obama said: "I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."

Somehow, I don't see that as being quite the same position as this Pope is at now--he seems to favor gay discrimination as right and godly, and if he doesn't hate gays, well, he sure doesn't seem to like 'em. Obama may not have favored full equality for gays, but he didn't seem to view gay parents as some "evil" perpetrated by the devil.

Unless you were joking in making that comparison?

[NYC Liberal]

35. Bullshit. Obama has never believed LGBT folks are evil,

going to hell, destroying civilization, etc. Ever.

And as very wrong as he was on marriage equality -- and he was -- he has always been highly supportive of equal rights in other areas.

This pope is indeed rabidly hateful.

[Recursion]

36. The Pope believes LGBT people are going to hell?

Source?

[NYC Liberal]

37. He has said that homosexuality comes directly from Satan

as a ploy to deceive Christians.

There have been many articles over the past few days about his positions on LGBT issues.

[Recursion]

39. And I'm asking for a source where he says LGBT people are going to hell

Thanks in advance!

[NYC Liberal]

42. If an action or practice is said to be coming directly from Satan

as part of an evil plot to deceive Christians -- what do you think the implication is there for those who engage in it?

Come on.

[SidDithers]

38. ODS...

Sid

[duffyduff]

41. He's a traditionalist.

Support for gay marriage or anything along those lines ain't gonna happen for centuries, if at all.

Frankly, his opposition to neoliberalism is a big plus with me.

[JDPriestly]

14. If he finally cleans up the Vatican Bank . . .

if he gets the MAFIA, the money launderers, the American intelligence agencies, etc. out and uses the money to set an example of Christian love and care for the poor, I will be very pleased. I won't join the Catholic Church, but I will respect it more.

[BainsBane]

20. He needs to do something about the pedophiles

and the Vatican's role in covering up for them. That will go the furthest toward starting to recover the Church's reputation.

[JDPriestly]

34. I think that the outrage about the pedophiles is so great that something is being

done about them.

The Bank is just as scandalous. That is because the Vatican has immunity from legal supervision since it is a "separate" country. So it is very hard for the Vatican to say no to individuals who want to use it for their personal purposes.

I recall that in the days before Benedict resigned, there were vague rumors about a scandal involving the bank. I have no idea what that scandal was but that is why I mention the bank so much. We know about the pedophiles. We also know that the Vatican Bank has been used by outsiders -- including American intelligence to transfer money anonymously -- so what was the scandal? I believe there was one. It must have been pretty bad. What was it?

I am not Catholic, but if I were, I would want to know. I would want a lot more transparency in the Catholic Church just as I do in the US government.

Will crime and sin and scandal be abolished forever? No. But people deserve to be able to live in reality and to have religious and political leaders that are honest an open about their dealings.

[vlyons]

15. Maybe Pope Francis will get back to the teachings of Jesus, rather than

the dogma of Empire. You know, feed the poor, heal the sick, love thy neighbor, stop judging every body, advocate for peace. That would be a refreshing change ...

[Catherina]

21. I was just reading an article exactly about that

It explained how he did just that in Argentina. Unfortunately I lost it.

But there's this, which is hopeful:

The secular clergy of his diocese, however, loved their archbishop. As auxiliary bishop in Buenos Aires in the 1990s, he managed always to be with his priests, keeping them company through crises and showing his great capacity for listening sympathetically. I have heard many stories of Bergoglio spending hours with elderly sick priests while encouraging more able colleagues to be “out on the frontiers”, to the neediest barrios, in the hospitals with Aids sufferers, in the kitchens established for hungry children. He also urged them to step out into the deep in intellectual and artistic areas: Bergoglio has never hidden a passion for literature.

Take one example of the emphasis he placed on pastoral care: when, in 2004, a fire broke out at a nightclub, Bergoglio arrived in the middle of the night, before the police and fire service, and long before the city authorities to comfort the survivors. He later established a ministry to the family and friends of the victims, and was openly critical of the government for its response to the tragedy.

Bergoglio’s words and deeds were admired as being far from the powers of this world; he has seemed indifferent to his media image, preoccupied only by the future of society, a man who was looking always for new forms of social solidarity and justice in his homeland where thousands rummage through the bins at night looking for something to eat.

The Argentinian media speak of him with awe and respect. Many, including agnostic critics of the Church, have long regarded him as the most credible social leader in a country in which politicians, union leaders and businessmen are regarded with great scepticism.

...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/the-pope/9933015/Poverty-not-popularity-drives-this-humble-Pope-Francis.html

[jsr]

24. They also respected him because he walked the walk

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pope-trappings-20130316,0,7495400.story
Pope Francis takes Vatican trappings to a new plain

...the Catholic newspaper Avvenire reported that a priest at the cathedral in Buenos Aires banded together with some friends to buy a pair of new shoes for Bergoglio before the archbishop left for the papal election conclave in Rome because his footwear looked so embarrassingly tattered.

[Catherina]

28. That's so cute lol n/t

[caseymoz]

17. He's off to a great start.

I don't like the church, but I do have my fingers crossed about this guy.

[BainsBane]

19. I'm interested in learning about your work in human trafficking

If you are ever included to share some of that. I'm a member of Historians against Slavery but am ashamed to say I haven't done a whole lot. If you have suggestions on how to get involved locally, I would like to read them. I know there are tens of thousands of people held in bondage throughout the US, and my state of MN has a particularly large number.

[Catherina]

30. I don't do anything that amazing

My contribution is to provide temporary shelter to trafficked females after they've been rescued or escaped. I'd say trafficked women but some of them are so horribly young. Most of my 'guests' have been from surrounding countries or different regions of Guatemala. Most either escaped or were rescued. I offer my home as a refuge and safe place and, if they want to stay in my city, we try to find them local apprenticeships or jobs and then help them with permanent housing. The biggest thing I do is provide that safe and *normal* place as they get on their feet so they can transition from that living hell and live their lives with dignity. Their stories rip your heart out. One girl was only 12 and on her way to the US so there's some followup with law enforcement but the resources for serious follow-up are tiny down here. I'm in Guatemala so I don't have any contacts in the states but when I was first getting started last year, some DUers were awesome and sent me a few leads to projects/people in the states. If you'd like, I can dig them up for you. It would be awesome if you did! Please stay in touch if you do. It's wonderful to meet you BainsBane

[Deep13]

26. I never ever thought I would every write this:

The Pope is right.

[Catherina]

31. On this, definitely though I'm sure the investor class will see things differently.

Forbes already started with some garbage that he's wrong and it's the profits of neoliberalism that pull the poor out of their poverty. It was so obscene that now I need to find it again for this post.


Found it.

Is Jorge Bergoglio, The New Pope Francis, A Capitalist?

...

So today, while on an investment committee conference call, when the white smoke appeared and shortly thereafter we learned that an Argentinian Cardinal named Jorge Bergoglio had been elected and had chosen for himself the name Pope Francis, I decided that this time I was going to share my first thought with friends and colleagues on the call. Here it is: the Pope will probably move the Church culturally to the right, and more likely move it economically to the left.

In other words, the age old answer to the question, “Is the Pope Catholic?” is, “Yes.” But the answer to the question, “Is the Pope capitalist?” is, “Probably not.”

...

But let’s not ignore the fact that the poor profoundly benefit when the economy grows; more so, even than when the church offers them a soup kitchen to visit. Neither the rightist Peron, nor the current leftist administration of Argentina has done much good for the poor. A century ago it was one of the world’s more prosperous countries, but it’s repeated rejection of both classical liberalism and (later) neo-liberalism, caused its prosperity to plummet compared with much of the rest of the world.

It is no coincidence that Argentina’s score of 47 on the Index of Economic Freedom (placing it as a miserable 160th of the freest counties in the world) accompanies its terrible poverty. Even mild attempts at ‘austerity’ were criticized by the Cardinal and much of the Argentine Church, but when austerity was abandoned and the currency devalued and debt reneged upon, the lot of Argentina’s poor became even poorer.

...

The new pope seems like a wonderful man. Humble, simple, decent. But if he is going to help the Church do as much as it possibly can for the poor, he’d do well, not just to look to the wonderful St. Francis, who became poor to serve the poor, but also to the John Paul the Great who, having lived under socialism in its most virulent form, embraced the market economy for its ability to liberate the poor.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jerrybowyer/2013/03/13/is-jorge-bergoglio-the-new-pope-francis-a-capitalist/

I'm not sure what planet the author was on when he wrote this but I hope he didn't write it with a straight face. I gag. Hard.

Read the whole article. I assure you it's a.... *masterpiece*.

[Beacool]

43. The more I read about this Pope, the more I like him.

Yesterday I read a BBC article about him. Apparently a Vatican usher tried to give him a red ermine trimmed cape to wear (Benedict loved that kind of stuff). Francis looked at the cape and told the guy that he wouldn't wear it, that he (the usher) could wear it himself. LOL!! This Pope is humble and also has a sense of humor. I hope that they allow him to do what he wants to do and doesn't get gobbled up by the Vatican bureaucracy.

I wish him the best.

[Autumn]

44. Thank you for this Catherina. I feel that this Pope is a good caring man and

will bring about some positive changes.

[Catherina]

47. I hope so

I hope, if he really is how I think he is, that he'll display the leadership skills to do so.

[geek tragedy]

45. The question is what he will do as a pope.

Will he prioritize social justice, or opposing rights for women and the GLBTQ community?

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

46. As a Catholic, I really admire our new Pope!

I read that he has apparently opted out of wearing the traditional red papal loafers, preferring to instead continue wearing his ordinary black dress shoes. In fact, he is so modest that when he was leaving for the conclave, the pair of shoes he had on were so shabby that friends bought him a new pair!