Among the many homilies and interventions of Pope Francis during his visit to Latin America, there are some that raise the question, “Is he a Vincentian?” He certainly expounds upon themes that any member of the Vincetian Family would find familiar. In a presentation given to a meeeting of leaders of peoples’ social movements in Bolivia, Pope Francis speaks with the authority of Tradition.

Echoes of Ozanam
Almost taken from the writings of Frederic and many Catholic authors after him, the implications of Catholic Social Teaching on the economy are clearly set out. In a recent .famvin post, you can find many of the Holy Father’s themes, and any member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul would find this familiar:

The economy should not be a mechanism for accumulating goods, but rather the proper administration of our common home. This entails a commitment to care for that home and to the fitting distribution of its goods among all. It is not only about ensuring a supply of food or “decent sustenance”. Nor, although this is already a great step forward, is it to guarantee the three “L’s” of land, lodging and labor for which you are working. A truly communitarian economy, one might say an economy of Christian inspiration, must ensure peoples’ dignity and their “general, temporal welfare and prosperity”.

Echoes of Our Marian Spirituality
She is Christ’s “first disciple” and a woman of simplicity. We are a Family with a deep Marian spirituality. Any Vincentian family member would recognize this “Mary” as their own:

Let us always have at heart the Virgin Mary, a humble girl from small people lost on the fringes of a great empire, a homeless mother who could turn a stable for beasts into a home for Jesus with just a few swaddling clothes and much tenderness. Mary is a sign of hope for peoples suffering the birth pangs of justice.

It’s worth the while to read and to meditate upon the entire speech.