Why the new Pope adopted the name Leo Speaking to the Conseil d’Etat – the State Council – on 4 March 1806, Napoleon famously said: “I do not see in [religion] the mystery of the incarnation, but the mystery of social order, the association of religion with paradise, an idea of equality which keeps the rich from being massacred by the poor….” More than two centuries later, helping to maintain social order remains the fundamental role of the Church.
Pope Francis: friend of the poor? On Monday 21 April, Pope Francis passed away at the age of 88. During his time at the Holy See, he had been charged with laundering the image of the Church, with giving it a ‘human face’, and stemming the crisis of that institution. Whatever else one thinks of him, he certainly executed his role with skill, but the job was itself impossible. The crisis of the Church continued apace and it will accelerate after his death.
The reformist left has lost its Pope The recent death of Pope Francis has dominated politics and the media in Italy this week. Amidst the unending chorus of Francis’ sycophants, however, the reformist left have been keen to make their voices heard, celebrating the life of this supposedly ‘revolutionary’, ‘anti-capitalist’ figure. We publish below a translation of an article by the Partito Comunista Rivoluzionario – the Italian section of the Revolutionary Communist International – explaining the truth about Pope Francis and clearly stating the communist position on the reactionary institution of the Catholic Church.
