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Pope Francis on Tuesday criticized growing economic inequality and unfettered markets in a wide-ranging and decidedly populist teaching that revealed how he plans to reshape the Catholic Church.
In an apostolic exhortation titled “Evangelii Gaudium,” or “The Joy of the Gospel,” Pope Francis has set an agenda to return the Catholic Church to the humility Christ showed in his devotion to the poor.
The pontiff decried an “idolatry of money” in secular culture and warned that it would lead to “a new tyranny.” But he reserved a large part of his critique for what he sees as an excessively top-down Catholic Church hierarchy, calling for more local governance and greater inclusiveness — including “broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church.”
The 50,000-word statement is the latest sign that Francis intends to push the church in a new direction. On some issues — such as income inequality and poverty — he is echoing concerns long pursued by his predecessors. On others, such as the management of the church, he is embarking on a new path marked by less central authority.
Sources
The Washington Post
WND
Express
Image: AP/Express
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