• World

What the Pope’s Left Hook in Bolivia Means

5 minute read

Pope Francis’ speech in Bolivia on Thursday will likely go down as one of the most significant moments of his July trip to Latin America. In a poetic, 55-minute manifesto, Pope Francis called for economic justice for the poor in some of his strongest language yet.

“You are social poets: creators of work, builders of housing, producers of food, above all for people left behind by the world market,” he told a crowd of Bolivian indigenous workers, farmers, and social activists. “You, the lowly, the exploited, the poor and underprivileged, can do, and are doing, a lot. I would even say that the future of humanity is in great measure in your own hands, through your ability to organize and carry out creative alternatives, through your daily efforts to ensure the three “L’s” (labor, lodging, land) and through your proactive participation in the great processes of change on the national, regional and global levels. Don’t lose heart!”

From afar, the words make it sound like Pope Francis is rallying at the barricades from the stage of Les Misérables. Throw in the fact that Bolivian President Evo Morales presented the Pope with a hammer-and-sickle crucifix, and it seems even socialist.

But context matters. Pope Francis did not give this speech while talking to the U.S. Congress or even in front of the United Nations. He was speaking in Bolivia, the poorest country in South America. He was also standing in front of Morales, an Aymara Indian who was wearing a jacket with a picture of Ernesto “Che” Guevara who is the country’s first president to come from its indigenous majority. And he was doing it on his first visit to a country that has had a troubled relationship with the Catholic Church of late.

Under Morales’ administration, relations with church officials have been strained. Nearly 90% of Bolivians were raised Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center, and yet Morales’ government has sought to limit the Church’s power. Bibles and crosses were removed from the presidential palace when he took office in 2006, and a new constitution later declared the country a secular state. Meanwhile 60% of current Protestants in Bolivia say they were raised Catholic, also according to Pew, highlighting Catholic concerns of an evangelical exodus from the faith in the region.

Francis’ apology for Church oppression of indigenous people in the colonial period has particular meaning in this political context. Francis went off script in his apology, making very clear his efforts at reconciliation to set a stage for a future reconciliation. “I also want for us to remember the thousands and thousands of priests who strongly opposed the logic of the sword with the power of the cross,” he said. “There was sin, and it was plentiful. But we never apologized, so I now ask for forgiveness. But where there was sin, and there was plenty of sin, there was also an abundant grace increased by the men who defended indigenous peoples.”

For his part, Morales was happy to use the occasion of the Pope’s visit to score a few political points of his own. He used the visit to say on Thursday that he has been seeking a meeting with President Obama, whom he called an imperialist at the U.N. in November. Bolivia’s diplomatic ties with the U.S. broke in 2008 when the country expelled both the U.S. ambassador and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Bolivia is one of the world’s largest producers of cocaine. The Pope’s role in brokering the U.S.-Cuba détente was clearly on his mind, and he tellingly gave credit only to the Pope and Cuba. “It is no concession of Obama’s, but the triumph of the Cuban people and the world as a whole,” he said. For him, then, Pope Francis could be a valuable link between Bolivia and the United States.

In the end, the speech is a reminder that Pope Francis is increasingly a political player in a multi-level game of chess. His power and sway holds particular importance for countries in Latin America, who champion him as the first pope who is actually theirs. The push and pull with Morales tests just how much of a free agent Francis really is.

That outcome also carries particular weight as the world waits to see how Pope Francis will handle his first trip to the U.S., the world’s capitalist superpower, especially looking ahead to his address to a joint session of Congress. There, conservatives continue to raise questions over how close the Pope’s ties to socialism actually are, and whether they approve of his critique of capitalism.

Former ambassador Otto Reich, President George W. Bush’s Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, says Pope Francis’ economic and political agenda in his trip to Latin America has gone too far. “This pope grew up in a third world country that frankly is an example of what happens when you don’t have capitalism and democracy,” Reich says. “I was very optimistic when he was named and I have been extremely disappointed in the political and economic aspects of his papacy. … He’s a victim of third world education, and Argentina is a particularly sad example.”

With reporting by Massimo Calabresi.

Bienvenido Francisco! Scenes from the Pope’s Visit to Latin America

In this July 3, 2015 photo, a life-size cutout image of Pope Francis stands over La Paz, seen from the cable car platform in El Alto, placed there by the transportation workers for commuters to pose with for photos, part of the city's promotion of the pope's upcoming visit to Bolivia. The pope's trip to South America that includes Bolivia is set for July 5-12, though he will only spend four hours in Bolivia's capital due to the altitude, church officials say. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A life-size cutout image of Pope Francis stands on the cable car platform in El Alto, overlooking La Paz, Bolivia, on July 3, 2015.Juan Karita—AP
People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis outside a nursing home run by the Missionary Sisters of Charity, the religious order founded by Mother Teresa, in Tumbaco, Ecuador, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. The Quito home is for elderly who lack the resources to remain in their own homes or family members able to care for them. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)
People wait for the arrival of Pope Francis outside a nursing home run by the Missionary Sisters of Charity, the religious order founded by Mother Teresa, in Tumbaco, Ecuador, on July 8, 2015. Dolores Ochoa—AP
Street vendors selling Bolivian and Vatican flags pass a large image of Pope Francis ahead of the pope's arrival to El Alto, Bolivia, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Due to the altitude, the pontiff will spend only a few hours in the capital city La Paz, which is near El Alto, during his South American tour. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Street vendors selling Bolivian and Vatican flags pass a large image of Pope Francis ahead of the Pope's arrival to El Alto, Bolivia, on July 8, 2015.Juan Karita—AP
Pope Francis waves to the faithful from a popemobile in El Quinche, Ecuador, July 8, 2015. Pope Francis on Tuesday said protecting the planet was no longer a choice but a duty and called for a new "social justice" where access to the earth's resources would be based on equality instead of economic interests. REUTERS/Guillermo Granja
Pope Francis waves to the faithful from a popemobile in El Quinche, Ecuador, on July 8, 2015.Guillermo Granja—Reuters
Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. On his final full day in Quito Pope Francis pressed his case for a new economic and environmental world order saying the goods of the Earth are meant for everyone and must not be exploited by the wealthy few for short-term profit at the expense of the poor. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Francis to the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015. Gregorio Borgia—AP
Faithful gather to attend a mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Bicentenario Park in Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015. Thousands of pilgrims braved wind and rain to camp out overnight for a mass to be given by Francis in Ecuador's highland capital Quito for an expected million people. REUTERS/Gary Granja
Thousands of pilgrims braved wind and rain to camp out overnight and attend a mass celebrated by Pope Francis at the Bicentenario Park in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015.Guillermo Granja—Reuters
A woman holds a rosary and a wooden cross with an image of Pope Francis as she waits for the arrival of the Pontiff in San Francisco square, Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Francis is scheduled to meet with members of Ecuador's civil society and give and address in San Francisco Church. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A woman holds a rosary and a wooden cross with an image of Pope Francis as she waits for the arrival of the Pontiff in San Francisco square in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015. Fernando Llano—AP
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass at the Bicentenario Park in Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015. Thousands of pilgrims braved wind and rain to camp out overnight for a mass to be given by Pope Francis in Ecuador's highland capital Quito for an expected million people. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Pope Francis arrives to celebrate mass at the Bicentenario Park in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015. Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters
Pope Francis walks with his pastoral staff to celebrate a Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Monday, July 6, 2015. Latin America's first pope arrived in this port city on Monday for the first big event of a three-nation tour where he's set compassion for the weak and respect for the environment as central themes. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis walks with his pastoral staff to celebrate a Mass in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on July 6, 2015. Gregorio Borgia—AP
Pope Francis arrives to meet members of civil society at the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015. Pope Francis on Tuesday said protecting the planet was no longer a choice but a duty and called for a new "social justice" where access to the earth's resources would be based on equality instead of economic interests. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Pope Francis arrives to meet members of civil society at the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015.Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters
Pope Francis is greeted by a child as he meets members of the civil society at the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, July 7, 2015. Pope Francis on Tuesday said protecting the planet was no longer a choice but a duty and called for a new "social justice" where access to the earth's resources would be based on equality instead of economic interests. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Pope Francis is greeted by a child as he meets members of the civil society at the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015. Alessandro Bianchi—Reuters
Pope Francis speaks as he meets members of the civil society at the San Francisco Church in Quito
Pope Francis speaks as he meets members of the civil society at the San Francisco Church in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015. Guillermo Granja—Reuters
Pope Francis waves to the crowd lining the road to La Paz, as he rides aboard the popemobile from El Alto, Bolivia, Wednesday, July 8, 2015. Due to the altitude, Pope Francis will spend only a few hours in the capital city La Paz. Bolivia is the second of three countries Francis will be visiting on his tour of the continent. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Pope Francis waves to the crowd lining the road to La Paz, as he rides aboard the popemobile from El Alto, Bolivia, on July 8, 2015.Rodrigo Abd—AP

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com