Eugene Coyle wrote: > Yes, the Jesuits then in Latin America. But in North America they are as > conservative as Bush.
In my experience with US Jesuits (and there used to be a lot of them at work), they have a variety of opinions. One I know (a friend) is basically a Marxist. Officially, they put a big emphasis on the "preferential option for the poor,"[*] with isn't like Dubya at all. Of course, some of them ignore that. The Jesuits started as the Pope's army, but in my encounters with them they are more like the Pope's think tank. [*] from the Wikipedia: >According to said doctrine, through one's words, prayers and deeds one must >show solidarity with, and compassion for, the poor. Therefore, when >instituting public policy one must always keep the "preferential option for >the poor" at the forefront of one's mind. Accordingly, this doctrine implies >that the moral test of any society is "how it treats its most vulnerable >members. The poor have the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of the >nation. We are called to look at public policy decisions in terms of how they >affect the poor." >Pope Benedict XVI has taught that “love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and >the sick and needy of every kind, is as essential as the ministry of the >sacraments and preaching of the Gospel.” This preferential option for the poor >and vulnerable includes all who are marginalized in society, including unborn >children [natch!], persons with disabilities, the elderly and terminally ill, >and victims of injustice and oppression.< -- Jim Devine / "In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite." -- Paul Dirac _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
