Latin America remains “victim of exploitative imperialisms”, and must continue “to work for its unity”, initial dream of its independence, said Pope Francis, also establishing a distinction between “peoples, and populisms” .
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“Latin America is still on this slow path, of struggle, of the dream of San Martín and Bolívar (fathers of Latin American independence, editor’s note) for the unity of the region”, declared the Argentine pontiff in an interview, broadcast on Friday, to the Argentine state agency Telam, from his residence in the Vatican.
The region “has always been a victim, and will be a victim until it is completely liberated, from exploitative imperialisms. All countries have this,” the pope said, without naming these exploitative countries or entities.
“I don’t want to mention them because they are so obvious that everyone sees them,” he added.
Asked about political changes on the continent, with political formulas in several countries illustrating a rejection of neoliberalism, the pope referred to the dream of San Martín and Bolívar which “is a prophecy, the meeting of all the Latin American people , beyond ideology, with sovereignty”.
“This is what it takes to achieve Latin American unity. Where each people feels its identity, and at the same time needs the identity of the other. It is not easy “.
The 85-year-old pope, who in 2023 will mark 10 years of pontificate, was invited to meditate on the past decade, and assured to have “invented nothing”, but simply “implemented what was requested by all”, in the pre-conclave meetings.
On the other hand, the Argentine pope feels that he has left his own “imprint”, that of “the Latin American Church (which) has a history of closeness to the people”, “a popular Church, in the true sense of the term”.
In this church historically, “there have been attempts at ideologization, such as (…) the Marxist analysis of reality for Liberation Theology”, he analyzes. “It was an ideological instrumentalization, a way of liberation — let’s put it that way — of the Latin American popular Church. But peoples are one thing, and populism is another.
The Pope was asked about his health during the interview, as speculation around a possible resignation has been revived in recent months, in particular by his knee pain which forced him to postpone a trip to Africa –although he has since confirmed a trip to Canada in late July.
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“It’s up to the one on High to say,” he replied.