Originally Posted by
cokecan
Tom,
this was on the Grinaud earlier - same story, more meat
The most well-known episode relates to the abduction of two Jesuits whom the military government secretly jailed for their work in poor neighborhoods.
According to "The Silence," a book written by journalist Horacio Verbitsky, Bergoglio withdrew his order's protection of the two men after they refused to quit visiting the slums, which ultimately paved the way for their capture.
Verbitsky's book is based on statements by Orlando Yorio, one of the kidnapped Jesuits, before he died of natural causes in 2000. Both of the abducted clergymen survived five months of imprisonment.
"History condemns him. It shows him to be opposed to all innovation in the Church and above all, during the dictatorship, it shows he was very cozy with the military," Fortunato Mallimacci, the former dean of social sciences at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, once said
Cheers Cokecan. No doubt as always there will be another side to this story - I'll reserve comment suffice to say sometimes you have to shake hands with the devil before you kick the **** out of him. The church operates in a number of repressive regimes around the world - sometimes you need to be pragmatic. As a parallel think about some of the dubious things the UK has done in the name of maintaining diplomacy. Let's give him a chance, whatever your views on the church it does represent a chunk of humanity. Let's hope he has the courage to reform what needs to reform and lead where leadership is needed.