From 5 to13 July the Pope is visiting Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay. His message puts him on delicate ground. Pope Francis has accused multinational companies of stripping poor countries of natural resources, criticised unfettered capitalism for promoting ‘exclusion and inequality’ and beatified a slain Salvadoran archbishop who is an icon of the Latin American left. His messages have sounded like a message from Latin America’s leftists in Ecuador and Bolivia (the first two stops on his tour). In the past he has been critical of heavy-handed governance in his native Argentina. He was deeply influenced by Peronism, a populist movement launched by Argentine strongman Juan Domingo Peron that showers the working class with government aid. He maintained close ties to Argentina’s labour unions and their leaders, who say he believes a decent job is an essential aspect of human dignity. ‘Peronist doctrine shares much in common with the church’s social doctrine,’ Francis is quoted as saying.