Pope Francis (Photo : Reuters)
Pope Francis has defended himself from American conservatives who have branded a Marxist because of his effort to focus on a church "that is poor and for the poor" and his repeated criticisms against consumerism.
The first Latin American pope explained that his message has been echoed by church fathers since Christianity's first centuries and is rooted in the Gospel.
"The Gospel does not condemn the wealthy, but the idolatry of wealth, the idolatry that makes people indifferent to the call of the poor," Francis says in an interview contained in a new book titled "This Economy Kills."
On Dec. 10, 2014, Francis met singing nun Sister Cristina Scuccia, the internationally known winner of the Italian version of "The Voice," in St. Peter's Square.
During their meeting, Sister Cristina handed the pope her album, which features her controversial remake of Madonna's 1984 hit song "Like A Virgin."
The pope has not released a comment on Sister Cristina's "Like A Virgin" since.
Like Madonna's version of the song, the music video of Sister Cristina's "Like A Virgin" was filmed in Venice featuring her in her trademark black habit, glasses and crucifix with a black and white backdrop of church spires and cupolas.
According to the Servizio Informazione Religiosa (Religious Information Service) news agency, the music video is a "reckless and calculated commercial operation."
"The public is always intrigued by the devil versus holy water theme, but not even the American nuns in Sister Act would have thought of something like this," claimed an editorial by the news agency, which is closely connected to the Italian Bishops' Conference.
