But..... but..... but....
He was just misquoted....
Or mistranslated......
Or misinterpreted......
Or misunderstood.....
Or......
What in particular do you object to regarding these statements?
Quoting a fourth century bishop, he called the unfettered pursuit of money the dung of the devil, and said poor countries should not be reduced to being providers of raw material and cheap labour for developed countries.He also called for an end to what he said was the "genocide" of Christians taking place in the Middle East and beyond.
"Today we are dismayed to see how in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world many of our brothers and sisters are persecuted, tortured and killed for their faith in Jesus," he said in Bolivia, part of a three-nation tour to his native South America.