The symbol of the Pope Francis era has to be the "Marxifix"—the crucifix in the shape of a hammer and sickle presented to the pope by Bolivian socialist Evo Morales. It might actually have been an appropriate symbol—if it had been offered to commemorate all of the Christians martyred in the 20th century by Communist regimes. That's something a previous pope would have understood well. But that's not what it means. The Marxifix was created by radical Jesuit Luis Espinal as a symbol for Liberation Theology, an attempt to blend Marxism and Christianity—or rather, to take over the latter as an instrument of the former. The previous pope who understood the evil of Communism—John Paul II—made a significant effort to suppress Liberation Theology during the 1980s, particularly in its stronghold in Latin America. So the presentation of the Marxifix to Francis is a deliberately provocative act, aimed by a socialist at a fissure within the Church.
Marxifix Maximus
Marxifix Maximus
Marxifix Maximus
The symbol of the Pope Francis era has to be the "Marxifix"—the crucifix in the shape of a hammer and sickle presented to the pope by Bolivian socialist Evo Morales. It might actually have been an appropriate symbol—if it had been offered to commemorate all of the Christians martyred in the 20th century by Communist regimes. That's something a previous pope would have understood well. But that's not what it means. The Marxifix was created by radical Jesuit Luis Espinal as a symbol for Liberation Theology, an attempt to blend Marxism and Christianity—or rather, to take over the latter as an instrument of the former. The previous pope who understood the evil of Communism—John Paul II—made a significant effort to suppress Liberation Theology during the 1980s, particularly in its stronghold in Latin America. So the presentation of the Marxifix to Francis is a deliberately provocative act, aimed by a socialist at a fissure within the Church.