JORGE MARIO BERGOGLIO from provincial in the context of argentine dictatorship to Pope Francis

Abstract

This work is dedicated to Jorge Mario Bergoglio´s trajectory as Head of the Jesuit Province Government in the context of the Argentine dictatorship (1976-1983) and its sui generis proposal of a way that escapes from political dichotomy and finds in the synthesis of oppositions the possibility of surpassing the antagonism between the poles. It reflects on how Bergoglio’s experiences influenced this religious agent’s behavior that later becomes Pope Francis and plays a relevant role in public debate nowadays. Methodologically, this study is exploratory research of historical character with biographical approaches. It is based on theoretical contributions, bibliographical sources and authors who indicate the need for sociological perspective to comprehend the field in which it operates, hence achieving articulation between historical-sociological perspective and biographical approach. It discusses how his deep and original thinking, forged in the years of the Argentine dictatorship, could indicate a path to resolving conflicts and challenges that our societies face today. Today his proposal of a prism which found the possibility of a synthesis amidst total opposition might provide elements from the religious sphere to the scope of secularized public debate.