A Catholic Voice for Latin America --

Time Magazine posts an interview with Honduran Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga. If I remember correctly he was among the names mentioned the last time the papal voting took place. With Benedict XVI already 80, that next vote could be in the next several years, and he could be among the top prospects.

In answer to the question of what the top priorities are for Latin America he stated:

It is necessary to review our pastoral models. They've been exhausted. We need more creative ways to confront the challenges of the 21st century. We must figure out how to take the gospel and the battle for social justice to the politicians of Latin America and the world.

Although Maradiaga was complementary of Benedict in the interview (how could he really be otherwise), he did speak to the issue of social justice that Benedict tried to avoid. He also stated that he doesn't see Latin America turning to the left, only that "it is simply seeking social justice. I look at my own country, and so many want to go to the United States because there is no work in Honduras, because there is no development."

Even if I don't agree with him at every point, this is someone to be reckoned with and I think could do great things for the Catholic Church -- not just in Latin America but worldwide. Of course I'm a Protestant observer.