Pope Francis and His Discourse on the Church of/for the Poor

Reference to GMA News Online's report:

"Pope urges religions, those with no church to ally for justice"

Pope Francis' discourse these days sounds seemingly progressive. But so far I find his speeches replete with doublespeak so long as he continues to disembed the critique of poverty and injustice from the principles of 'liberation theology'.

How can we address the plight of the poor and the curse of inequality and injustice if we do not relate these problems as closely bounded with the reality of the material existence of human beings and the materiality of human relations and the ecology? Poverty, inequality, and injustice of today are not simply states of the mind or issues of the spirit. 

In a word, if poverty and being poor are not viewed in 'relational' — that is, in 'material' — terms, the Pope misses out the essentials of injustice and inequality. As long as the materiality of human existence, human conditions, and human relations in today's world is not taken seriously, Pope Francis' rhetoric will continue to be used as a spiritual justification for the maintenance of the status quo that is ruled by the rich, the elites, and the powerful. In this sense, Vatican's catholicism remains the church of and for the rich and powerful that manipulates the poor for purposes of its legitimacy, power imperatives, and perpetuation.

Pope Francis may need to get out of the shadows of the theological doctrines of ex Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

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Postscripts. 

• From media reports, it is clear that Pope Francis is critical of liberation theology. After all, Vatican realpolitik suggests that if he were a liberation theologists, he would not be elected Pope. In the first place, the anti-liberation theology of the late John Paul II is indicative that he would not have even been appointed Cardinal.

• Here's a geopolitical question: Is there a parallelism between John Paul II from Eastern Europe elected Pope during the Cold War and Pope Francis elected at this historic left-turn in Latin America? If this is the case, with the rise of China and the geopolitical interest in containing China, is Cardinal Chito Tagle from Asia being groomed as the next Pope? Just asking and pondering on this....