Pope Francis has rejected criticism that his views on economics were “pure Marxism”, saying: “Marxist ideology is wrong. But I have met many Marxists in my life who are good people, so I don’t feel offended.”
The Pope was giving a wide-ranging interview to the Italian paper La Stampa. His openness to give press interviews has been one of the defining aspects of his pontificate.
After the publication of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, some right-wing commentators in the US accused him of being a “Marxist” because of his criticisms of the “trickle-down theory” which assumes that when the rich get richer, the poor will inevitably benefit.
Pope Francis said he had not stepped beyond the Church’s existing teaching. “There is nothing in the Exhortation that cannot be found in the Social Doctrine of the Church,” he said.
He added: “I was not speaking from a technical point of view. I tried to present a snapshot of what is happening.”
Regarding the “trickle-down theory”, he said: “It was the promise that when the glass is full, it would spill over and the poor will benefit. But all that happens is that when it’s full the glass magically gets bigger, and nothing ever spills over for the poor.”
But he added: “I repeat: I was not speaking technically, but according to the Church’s social doctrine. And that does not mean being Marxist.”
In the 90-minute interview he also mentioned that preparations were under way for him to visit Jerusalem. He said he would like to go there to meet “my brother Bartholomew, Patriarch of Constantinople” to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s visit to the city, which falls in January. On that visit Paul VI met Patriarch Atenagoras. “We are preparing the ground,” he said.
Francis also revealed that when his council of eight cardinal-advisers meets, he listens rather than speaks, which he said “does me good”.
He also denied that women would be created cardinals, saying that to enable them to receive the red hat would be to clericalise them. “I don’t know where any such idea came from. Women in the Church must be valued, not clericalised. Whoever thought of women cardinals is suffering from a bit of clericalism,” he said.
This morning he explained further why he believed clericalism was so damaging to the Church. He said clericalism was the trap the Church fell into when it was without prophets, Vatican Radio reported.
A prophet, by contrast, listens to the words of God, reads the spirit of the times and knows how to move forward towards the future, he said. In this way he or she manages to keep the promise of God alive, see the suffering of their people, and bring the faithful the strength to look ahead.
When clericalism reigns, Pope Francis said, the words of God are sorely missed and true believers weep because they cannot find the Lord.
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