The Latin American experience of Catholicism is one of both oppression and heroism. The Church, once on the side of the wealthy and powerful, is going through a conversion process through a relationship with the poor and marginalized. This is the Church that formed Pope Francis, and to understand him one must understand this environment.

The Church in Latin America has come to stand for family, solidarity and simplicity. It has come to stand for the realization that the face of Christ can only be fully recognized in serving the poor. And it has come to stand for the truth that all the pomp and triumphalism in the world is as dust compared to the simple beauty of Mass celebrated in the adobe church of a poor, small village.