The Pope’s History Reflects the Church’s Past
NACLA Report Mar 20 2013 by Kyle Barron
“The election of Pope Francis has brought many issues to the fore that represent not just the complexity of a person, but the complexity of the Catholic Church. This was especially true at the time the most controversial chapters in his history were being written.
Accusations of then Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s complicity in the Dirty War in Argentina run the gamut from full-fledged endorsement of the brutal military dictatorship to his own insistence that he worked to secure the protection of dissidents. Between 1976 and 1983, the Argentine dictatorship killed up to 30,000 student and union organizers, leftists, and those suspected with sympathizing with dissidents. Documents reveal that Bergoglio was tangled up in the torture of two Jesuit priests, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics, who worked for social justice in impoverished neighborhoods. Although Bergoglio maintains that he warned them their undertakings were putting their lives in danger, the Jesuits courageously pursued the work they thought was imperative for the church. After the military kidnapped Yorio and Jalics, Bergoglio failed to come to their defense and they were subsequently tortured, but he claims he later worked behind the scenes to have them released.”