Santa Cruz – Pope Francis has urged the downtrodden to change the world economic order, denouncing a “new colonialism” by agencies that impose austerity programmes.
In one of the longest, most passionate and sweeping speeches of his pontificate, he also called for the poor to have the “sacred rights” of labour, lodging and land.
He spoke to participants of the 2nd world meeting of popular movements, an international body that brings together organisations of people on the margins of society, including the poor, the unemployed and peasants who have lost their land.
The Vatican hosted the first meeting in 2015.
The Argentina-born Pope also asked forgiveness for the sins committed by the Roman Catholic Church in its treatment of native Americans during what he called the “so-called conquest of America.”
Quoting a 4th century bishop, he called the unfettered pursuit of money “the dung of the devil,” and said poor countries should not be reduced to being providers of raw material and cheap labour for developed countries.
Repeating some of the themes of his landmark encyclical “Laudato Si” on the environmentin June, the Pope said time was running out to save the planet from perhaps irreversible harm to the ecosystem.
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He said he supported their efforts to obtain “so elementary and undeniably necessary a right as that of the three “L’s”: land, lodging and labour.”
His speech was preceded by lengthy remarks from leftist Bolivian President, Evo Morales, who wore a jacket adorned with the face of Argentine revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
Ernesto was executed in Bolivia in 1967 by CIA-backed Bolivian troops.
“Let us not be afraid to say it: we want change, real change, structural change,” the Pope said, .
He decried a system that `has imposed the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social exclusion or the destruction of nature.’ (Reuters/NAN)