When Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina became Pope Francis, much of his home country celebrated as if it had just won a soccer World Cup championship.
A decade later, the first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church generates divided opinions and much less fervor.
“Ninety percent of the reason he doesn’t come is because of the divide,” said Rubin, who writes for Argentina’s Clarín newspaper. Francis is “a controversial figure, especially among the most conservative sectors of Argentina,” political consultant Sergio Berenzstein said. The pope’s message against the accumulation of wealth that leaves many behind, including criticism of an “economic system that continues to discard lives in the name of the god of money, ” has been read by some in Argentina as an endorsement of Peronism, the movement founded by three-time president Juan Domingo Perón that has social justice as a rallying cry.
Roberto Bacman, director of the Center for Public Opinion Studies, said Francis’ image has declined from a positive rating of 85% in the early years of his tenure as pope to 72% two years ago.
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