Pope Francis I, previously known as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, seems likely to be a welcome progressive voice on economic justice issues and an unsurprisingly conservative voice on doctrinal and social issues. In Argentina, he was a strident but unsuccessful opponent of marriage equality for same-sex couples, which he reportedly called “a destructive pretention against the plan of God… a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.” He has said adoption of children by gay and lesbian people is a form of discrimination against children, an argument familiar to anyone who follows marriage-equality battles in the U.S. Marriage equality became law in Argentina over his objections in July 2010.
