The new pope and his Argentinian background.

[Fly]

I knew this story would raise it's head. The pope has 2.1billion catholics behind him.
Let's bring the Falkland Islands into the picture.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/14/pope-francis-argentina-falklands-dispute

[Old Cruser]

Never takes them long to dig up the dirt does it.

[Pete]

You'll never guess what my opinion of him is...

[Old Cruser]

@ Pete - no --- go on --- I'm reading -----

[Fly]

Child abuse and sex slavery

In 2007, Bergoglio denounced what he characterized as a cultural tolerance of child abuse. He spoke strongly against the abuse of children as "demographic terrorism" and decried their exploitation. "Children are mistreated, and are not educated or fed. Many are made into prostitutes and exploited".[37] In 2011, Bergoglio condemned child trafficking and sex slavery in Buenos Aires, saying "In this city, there are many girls who stop playing with dolls to enter the dump of a brothel because they were stolen, sold, betrayed." He continued that, "In this city, women and girls are kidnapped, and they are subjected to use and abuse of their body; they are destroyed in their dignity. The flesh that Jesus assumed and died for is worth less than the flesh of a pet. A dog is cared for better than these slaves of ours, who are kicked, who are broken."[65]
Corruption

In 2011, Bergoglio said that "There is a daily anesthesia that this city knows how to use very well, and it is called bribery, and with this anesthesia the conscience is numbed. Buenos Aires is a bribe-taking city."[65]
Doctrinal compliance on abortion, euthanasia, and contraception

In 2007, as Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio presented the final version of a joint statement of the bishops of Latin America – the "Aparecida Document" – upon its approval by Pope Benedict XVI. Among several hundred conclusions, the document links worthiness to receive the Eucharist to compliance and acceptance of Church teaching against "abominable crimes" such as abortion and euthanasia:[37][66][67][68]

    "We hope that legislators, heads of government, and health professionals, conscious of the dignity of human life and of the rootedness of the family in our peoples, will defend and protect it from the abominable crimes of abortion and euthanasia; that is their responsibility ... We should commit ourselves to 'eucharistic coherence', that is, we should be conscious that people cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act or speak against the commandments, in particular when abortion, euthanasia, and other serious crimes against life and family are facilitated. This responsibility applies particularly to legislators, governors, and health professionals."

Bergoglio has also encouraged his clergy and laity to oppose both abortion and euthanasia, describing the pro-choice movement as a "culture of death",[69] and had opposed the free distribution of contraceptives in Argentina.[70]
Homosexuality

Bergoglio has affirmed church teaching on homosexual practices; that they are intrinsically immoral. However he has stressed the importance of respecting homosexual persons.[71][72]

He opposes same-sex marriage,[73] and unsuccessfully opposed legislation introduced in 2010 to legalize same-sex marriage in Argentina, calling it a "real and dire anthropological throwback".[74] In July 2010, while the law was under consideration, he wrote a letter to Argentina's cloistered nuns in which he said:[75][76][77]

    In the coming weeks, the Argentine people will face a situation whose outcome can seriously harm the family…At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance, and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God's law engraved in our hearts.

    Let's not be naive: This is not a simple political fight; it is a destructive proposal to God's plan. This is not a mere legislative proposal (that's just its form), but a move by the father of lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God… Let's look to St. Joseph, Mary, and the Child to ask fervently that they defend the Argentine family in this moment... May they support, defend, and accompany us in this war of God.

After L'Osservatore Romano reported this, several priests expressed their support for the law and one was defrocked.[76] Observers believe that the church's opposition and Bergoglio's language, which has been criticized by politicians [78] worked in favor of the law's passage and that Roman Catholic officials learned from their failed campaign against the same-sex marriage law to adopt a different tone in later debates on social issues such as parental surrogacy.[79][80]

He appears to me to be on the right side judging by his past.

[Pete]

>> @ Pete - no --- go on --- I'm reading -----

I think, despite the recent publicity, that he's irrelevant.