CathNews New Zealand

Pope Francis said in an Italian newspaper interview on Sunday that he is not a Marxist but that even Marxists can be good people.

The pontiff also denied reports that he would name a woman cardinal. He also said there was good progress in cleaning up Vatican finances and confirmed that he would visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next year.

In a report by La Stampa, the pope was quoted as saying “Marxist ideology is wrong. But in my life I have known many Marxists who are good people, so I don’t feel offended.”

Last month, American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who has a huge following in the United States, railed against the pope for written comments made on the world economy.

Limbaugh, who is not Catholic, said that parts of the document were “pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope” and suggested that someone else had written the papal document for him. He also accused the pope of going “beyond Catholicism” and being “purely political”.

Pope Francis said he was not speaking “as a technician but according to the social doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and this does not mean being Marxist.” He said he was just trying to present a “snapshot of what is happening” in the world today.

Sources

Reuters
Huffington Post
Time Magazine
Image: Reuters

Additional reading

News category: World.