DHAKA: Pope Francis, responding to conservative criticism that his economic and social ideas smack of communism, said in an Italian newspaper interview on Sunday that he is not a Marxist but that even Marxists can be good people.

Pope Francis also denied reports that he would name a woman cardinal, said there was good progress in cleaning up Vatican finances and confirmed that he would visit Israel and the Palestinian territories next year, La Stampa said.

Last month, American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh, who has a huge following in the United States, railed against the pope for written comments made on the world economy.

Limbaugh, who is not Catholic, said that parts of the document were ‘pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope’ and suggested that someone else had written the papal document for him.

He also accused the pope of going ‘beyond Catholicism’ and being ‘purely political’, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 2034 HRS, DEC 15, 2013
Edited by: Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor