A Radical Pope?

Pope Francis shows no sign of abating in his stated determination to introduce reform in the Catholic Church. In his encyclical "Evangelii Gaudium" the Argentinian pontiff described unfettered capitalism as "a new tyranny".

While this is is almost certain to set him on a collision course with the more conservative elements perhaps even more challenging to the power of tradition is his statement:

I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.

Pope John Paul II during his visit to Ireland in 1979

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