By Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Horacio Verbitsky!

The New Pope's Disturbing Past. Revealing Francis's Ties to Abduction of Priests! Juan Gonzalez: For more on the new pope, we turn now to one of Argentina's leading investigative journalists, Horacio Verbitsky, who has written extensively about the career of Cardinal Bergoglio, and his actions during the military dictatorship, that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983. During that time, up to 30,000 people were kidnapped and killed. A 2005 lawsuit accused Jorge Bergoglio of being connected to the 1976 kidnappings of two Jesuit priests, Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics. The lawsuit was filed, after the publication of Verbitsky's book, The Silence: From Paul VI to Bergoglio: The Secret Relations Between the Church and the ESMA. Esma refers to the former navy school, that was turned into detention center, where people were tortured by the military dictatorship. The new pope has denied the charges. He twice invoked his right under Argentine law, to refuse to appear in open court to testify about the allegations. When he eventually did testify in 2010, human rights activists characterized his answers as evasive. Amy Goodman: Horacio Verbitsky joins us on the phone now, from his home in Buenos Aires, an investigative journalist for the newspaper Pagina 12, Page 12, it is called in English. He is also head of the Center for Legal and Social Studies, an Argentine human rights organization: We welcome you to Democracy Now! I wanted to just begin by you laying out for us, what you believe is important to understand about the new pope, Pope Francis. Horacio Verbitsky: The main thing to understand about Francis 1, is that he's a conservative populist, in the same style that John Paul II was. He's a man of strong conservative positions in doctrine questions, but with a touch for popular taste. He preaches in rail stations, in the streets. He goes to the quarters, the poor quarters of the city to pray. He doesn't wait for the people going into the church, he goes for them, but his message is absolutely conservative. He was opposed to abortion, to the egalitarian matrimony law. He launched a crusade against the evil, when Congress was passing this law, and in the same style that John Paul II. This is what I consider the main feature on the new pope. Juan Gonzalez: Well, now, HoracioVerbitsky, that would be true of many of the cardinals elevated during the period of John Paul, and now also of Benedict XVI, this basic conservatism. But in the case of Bergoglio, there is also the issue, as you have documented, and many several journalists in Argentina.