April 21, 2025
The Brazilian theologian hopes that the Catholic Church will continue the reforms initiated by the Argentine pontiff.
In an interview with teleSUR on Monday, Brazilian theologian and Dominican friar Frei Betto reflected on the profound impact of Pope Francis’s passing, describing it as “a great loss for all of humanity.”
Betto, who met personally with the pontiff in 2014 and 2023, highlighted the Pope’s legacy as a Church reformer and tireless defender of human rights, especially those of migrant populations and marginalized communities.
“He was a man who made a very strong effort to reform the Catholic Church but also to create conditions for a much more peaceful international scenario,” Betto noted, emphasizing the publication of “Laudato Si,” the first papal encyclical dedicated to environmental preservation.
“Wisely, Francis never used the word ‘capitalism’ in his speeches or documents, but he always spoke of ‘imperialism’,” Betto explained, adding that the Pope sought to promote an economy based on solidarity as an alternative to the current system of oppression. Betto revealed that some U.S. cardinals considered Francis a “communist Pope,” a label the pontiff received “as a compliment.”
“Francis had no shame in following in Jesus’s footsteps in defending human rights and the exploited poor,” said Betto, who requested an audience with Pope Francis to discuss issues such as the promotion of women in the Church and papal intervention to ease the U.S. blockade against Cuba.
“Francis was very approachable and very sensitive to the demands of justice,” the Brazilian theologian reiterated, describing Francis as “a progressive mind” leading “a conservative institution” due to the legacy of John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Betto praised Pope Francis’s ability to push forward significant reforms and predicted that the next two weeks could involve a “very conflictive” process for papal succession.
“We, who are progressives, will continue moving forward regardless of the new pontiff’s ideology… Francis was an important world statesman, one of the most respected,” Betto stated, stressing that the Pope’s moral authority transcended parties and governments.
“Being Catholic or not being Catholic doesn’t matter… There are many atheists who follow the principles of Jesus’s Gospel much more closely than many cardinals and bishops,” the Brazilian theologian said, noting that the true value of Christianity lies in living out Jesus’s principles beyond religious labels.
Finally, Betto expressed hope that the next Pope would continue the reforms initiated by Francis, addressing the Church’s “historical sins” such as misogyny and making progress on issues like same-sex marriage, always maintaining “this commitment, in line with Jesus, to uncompromisingly defend human rights around the world.”
teleSUR/ JF
Source: teleSUR
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