What lengths would you go to in order to protect people in danger of imprisonment, torture, and death? Bergoglio’s List by international reporter and legal journalist Nello Scavo shows us what a young Jesuit priest who has since become pope did long before he was in the limelight.
Horrifying things happened in Argentina in 1976 when their military overthrew the government and for nine years led a dictatorship hell-bent on annihilating any and all opposition. Many knew and respected Jorge Mario Bergoglio—now Pope Francis—who was a young priest in Argentina at that time.
Soon after he was elected to be the next pope on March 13, 2013, a number of allegations were brought up about his allegiance and actions during the junta. Scavo set out to get the facts about Father Bergoglio’s role as a Jesuit leader during the so-called Dirty War.
This book is a result of Scavo’s investigation, research, interviews, and court case transcripts, and eyewitness accounts Fr. Bergoglio was then, as he is now, a humble man of God seeking to serve the suffering in whatever ways he can. During the nine-year period of atrocities, the Argentine military abducted, tortured, and/or murdered 30, 000 people.
What could a relatively young Catholic priest do in the face of such carnage? Protect as many as he could from the military’s grasp using his connections, courage, and the conviction that he had to act in the face of such evil. And that’s precisely what he did.
Some have accused Fr. Bergoglio of turning a blind eye to what was happening around him. They’ve said he did nothing to stop the vicious attacks on fellow priests, friends, men, women, and children. Bergoglio’s List has mostly been discovered in the years since the junta. The young priest helped save over 100 people the military intended to torture and/or murder.
Some he was able to warn in advance. Others he risked his life to plea for their freedom and spare them from torture. A person who is holy and respectable possesses these traits even in the direst circumstances.
What would Jesus do? Probably exactly what this well-known Jesuit did: save as many people as he could from the atrocities of his time.
I highly recommend reading Bergoglio’s List. A great film this made me think of, though a different priest, circumstances, and a different time of war is The Scarlet and the Black. It’s definitely worth seeing and will give you an idea of the danger and secrecy necessary to protect people when the military was running the horror shows. I received a free copy of Bergoglio’sList in exchange for an honest review. For more information, or to purchase your own copy, click here.
