Education in the Thought and Theology of Jorge Mario Bergoglio

Abstract

The election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the papacy was not expected either by those inside Catholic politics or by non-Catholic observers. Because of his former anonymity in the English-speaking world, there exists a paucity of resources available about his life and his thought. This thesis begins to examine his thought concerning education in Argentina, especially as it takes the form of a response to the excesses and corruption of Argentine populism and plays a role in defending his theological vision. This thesis provides a sketch of populism (as Bergoglio conceives it) and the types of socio-cultural challenges that political neoliberalism and cultural modernity pose in the Latin American context as the background to Bergoglio's theological vision. Further, this thesis then considers three specific works by Bergoglio in order to explain his theological vision of history and the human person which underlies his understanding of the relationship between education and the redemption of human beings by Christ.