Religion & Liberty Online

Samuel Gregg on the Pope’s problematic view of Venezuela

In a new article for the WSJ, writer William McGurn writes that while Pope Francis and the Vatican have stubbornly resisted speaking out against Venezuela’s regime, a recent uprising in Venezuela pushed the Vatican to finally admit “profound concern.” When the Pope and the Vatican criticize America however, their comments seem much more incendiary.

To explain the Pope’s attitude of inattention so far given to Venezuela’s regime, McGurn quotes Acton Institute’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg: “Venezuela’s crisis doesn’t fit into Pope Francis’s standard way of explaining contemporary political and economic problems. It’s very hard for the pope to blame Venezuela’s problems on the tyranny of Mammon, financial speculation, free trade agreements, arms-dealers, nefarious ‘neoliberals,’ or any of his usual list of suspects.”

You can read McGurn’s full article here.

(Photo: By Benhur Arcayan (Malacañang Photo Bureau) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

Caroline Roberts

Caroline Roberts is a managing editor at the Acton Institute and produces Acton's weekly podcast, Acton Line.