I found this.. “unjust economic structures that give rise to great inequalities.” disturbing.. I guess it’s all in the interpretation.
And it’s true you’d expect such “global concern” from a church that has viewed its mission as bettering the world, not just saving sinners. And one could argue that becoming known for bettering the world would make one more attractive as a voice for the message of saving sinners. The devil is definitely in the details, and so can God be.
You find it disturbing because you are looking at it through the lens of an American viewfinder.
Here in this country we had an entire continent to claim and for the average person claim, a government that protected the rights of the individual working man to own land, and an educational system that can or should be able to lift one out of poverty.
If you lived in a country where the elite owned almost all of the arable land, grew crops for export instead of feeding the poor, and had little chance of “getting ahead” through education, you would understand why marxism, liberation theology, and other such left-wing ideologies take hold.
In countries such as these, there’s no easy answer, but that doesn’t mean the pope doesn’t speak for the poor. It’s his JOB to speak for the poor.