Pope Francis and Venezuela vs JP2 and Poland

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Almost everyone here can remember, or at least knows of, JPII’s strong stance against communism in his own home country and region, and his pivotal role in the fall of the USSR.

Has Francis made any comments on the plight of Venezuelans in his own home region, and the horrible things they are undergoing due to, IMO, the flawed nature of their governmental system?
 
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Not to my knowledge.

JP11 and Francis have difference focuses. It’s unfair to both to compare each other, and unfair to Christ who has called them to the Petrine ministry.

Francis took the name “Francis” after Assisi for a reason, just like JP took John Paul for a reason. Look to their names to understand why their focus are/were
 
Comparing popes, or saying “I think this Pope should do this,” is unfair to Christ who called them to the ministry?

I strongly disagree. Calling out evil where it is, is something this pope has done with ISIS and the Cosa Nostra. It would be a good idea for him to call out Maduro. Latin American dictators are brutal, and repressive, and evil, and I don’t think it crosses a line to cite precedent, and say, “The Vatican is the world’s soft-power super-power - especially in Catholic countries - and it can use that power for good here.”
 
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Pope JPII’s actions were directed towards Communism as a regime that was affecting an entire region, and the world, for decades. He wasn’t just directed towards one particular country.

I’m sorry that Venezuela is having issues, but many countries in that region have consistently had internal problems because of their own instability. it’s an individual country thing, not a case of Communism, which is anti-Church and anti-God, affecting an entire bloc of countries.

It would be inappropriate for the Pope to inject himself into every rotten thing going on in every individual country. There are a bunch of countries in African and Asia where people are suffering too. Other than standing up for the human dignity of every individual, it’s not politically a good move for the Pope to get involved in all of these or even a subset of them.

Plus, I also agree that Pope Francis has a different focus than Pope John Paul II and I think that’s a good thing, because Francis is paying attention to things that JPII was kind of setting aside while he was off dealing with Poland and such.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
I’m sorry that Venezuela is having issues, but many countries in that region have consistently had internal problems because of their own instability.
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Yes, and no. Countries have instability and problems, but few to the extent of Venezuela.

Venezuela is incredibly oil-rich, sitting on the world’s most tremendous petroleum reserves.

Yet has no food in its stores.

Not due to any war or natural disaster

Ifs really a critical problem
 
So what do you think the Pope can do about it except say it’s bad? Which we already know.

He can’t exert any pressure, and the problem with these situations is that often the group seeking to dislodge the current regime is just as bad if not worse than the dictator they are trying to kick out.
 
Comments? No.
Concrete intercession,prayers,plights, for the people,requests for a solution,strength for the people,instances for dialogue,etc etc etc.: plenty.
And for three years now that I know of.

Keep on praying.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Plus, I also agree that Pope Francis has a different focus than Pope John Paul II and I think that’s a good thing, because Francis is paying attention to things that JPII was kind of setting aside while he was off dealing with Poland and such.
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Interesting. Can you provide any examples?
 
That was during the cold war though. Venezuela isnt the same as the Warsaw Pact countries. And where Francis is from, Argentina, has more modern history with rightist military dictatorship than communism.
 
Rob2 said:
Pope Francis: United Nations must help in Venezuela crisis
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If the UN can put pressure on Spain to give asylum for Madura and his top brass, the situation in Venezuela is certainly salvagable.

Its a very wealthy country, and with the help of major oil concerns, I don’t see why they can’t get back on their feet. But the current leadership needs sent out of the country
 
I have said before that I felt Pope JPII did not do enough to address the sexual abuse scandals within the Church during his papacy. Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy, and no Pope is able to address everything, but by the time Spotlight came out I had been hearing about sex abuse in the Church for about 20 years already. “The Keepers” business was going on before I was married in our neighborhood, which was like 25-30 years ago at this point. That was in the middle of Pope JPII’s papacy and they were still just moving these guys around from parish to parish and sending them off to therapy centers and hoping they would stop, I guess .
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
I have said before that I felt Pope JPII did not do enough to address the sexual abuse scandals within the Church during his papacy.
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I agree. I was very encouraged by Pope Benedict’s actions and hoped that Pope Francis would continue with the same policies. However, various Catholic media sources have reported that Pope Francis has relaxed the rules.
 
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