Pope Francis attended a Vatican screening of the 2022 documentary “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” on Feb. 24, 2023. | Vatican Media
The book reviews the almost 10 years of Francis’ pontificate based on conversations that Rubín, a journalist from the Grupo Clarín media group and Ambrogetti, a member of the ANSA agency, had with the pontiff.
The two co-authored “The Jesuit,” the first biographical book on Jorge Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis, published prior to his election to the papacy.
The new book includes answers the Holy Father has given on the situation in Argentina as well as comments that tie him to Peronism (support for the party or policies of Juan Perón, a former president of Argentina) and criticize him for alleged closeness to politicians, trade unionists, and the so-called piqueteros (picketers).
These questions, Rubín said, put the pontiff “at the center of the controversies and as a target of criticism.”
In the book, Pope Francis also addresses corruption at the Vatican, abuses committed by members of the Church, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, accusations of promoting “poorism,” his position on capitalism, and a possible visit to his homeland.
Is Pope Francis a Peronist?
In a special chapter on Argentina, Pope Francis confronts the label of “Peronist,” with which he is sometimes identified.
“I was never affiliated with the Peronist party, I was not even a party member or supporter of Peronism. Affirming that is a lie,” he says.
However, he acknowledges that the presence in the 1970s of a Peronist group at the Jesuit-run Salvador University, which backed the future pope’s position on social justice, “led to saying that I am a Peronist.”
Then, the pontiff notes that sympathizing with Peronism is not something that can be criticized in itself. “What’s wrong with that?” he asks.
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