--- description: Pope Francis' visit to Bolivia included a big speech on poverty and the rights of indigenous peoples that was aimed at local politics. title: What the Pope's Left Hook in Bolivia Means image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38902b45e0061fbf/69885a7a196cf4137d0370f2/pope-francis-bolivia-visit.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Pope Francis](/tag/pope-francis/) ## Pope Francis Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # What the Pope's Left Hook in Bolivia Means ## Video: 2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy [Watch (HLS stream): 2013 Person of the Year: Pope Francis Reimagines the Papacy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aYRnrfUV.m3u8) (3:30)  _Published 2013-12-11. From his comments on gays to his penchant for Twitter, Pope Francis's every move has garnered strong reactions from the world media._ by [Elizabeth Dias](/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 10, 2015 8:32 PM CUT  Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile while making his way to celebrate an open-air Mass on July 9, 2015 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Pope Francis will visit a notorious Bolivian prison in Santa Cruz July 10 during his three-country swing through Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. Pope Francis waves to the crowd from the popemobile while making his way to celebrate an open-air Mass on July 9, 2015 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Pope Francis will visit a notorious Bolivian prison in Santa Cruz July 10 during his three-country swing through Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.Mario Tama—Getty Images by [Elizabeth Dias](/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 10, 2015 8:32 PM CUT [Pope Francis’ speech](http://time.com/3952885/pope-francis-bolivia-poverty-speech-transcript/ "undefined") 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. ](http://time.com/3952885/pope-francis-bolivia-poverty-speech-transcript/ "undefined") “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](http://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/13/religion-in-latin-america/ "undefined"), 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  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, 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, on July 8, 2015. Juan Karita—AP  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, on July 7, 2015. Gregorio Borgia—AP  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 in Quito, Ecuador, on July 7, 2015. Fernando Llano—AP  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, on July 6, 2015. Gregorio Borgia—AP  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, 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, 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, on July 8, 2015. 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