Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador and the rest of Latin America have suffered from acute exploitation of their countries. Silver and gold deposits and slavery helped finance the Spanish empire, bankroll global European and American colonialism, and fill the treasury of the Vatican.
By admitting the Church’s complicity in the oppression of Latin America during the colonial era, the pope is also calling for the shattering of the “new colonialism,” but what’s lacking is a comprehensive remedy to rectify the damage done to the original owners of the land.
The pope as the “Vicar of Christ” implies that he should be able to absolve the impoverished African nations of the debt and misery they suffer. If Christ returns with the power to crush the wicked (Malachi 4:3), then relieving the Latin American and African nations of the financial burdens imposed on them by the racist, recalcitrant Western powers should be an easy task for the Vicar of Christ to pursue.