Is the Pope liberal?

With his arrival in the United States on Tuesday, Pope Francis will begin a whirlwind of analysis and media excitement. Or, really, he’ll land in the middle of a maelstrom of takes and listicles and photo essays that has been swirling for weeks. Part of that energy is the result of Francis’s forcing something upon us that is rare in this country: a consideration of global politics independent from our own. Usually, we see foreign policy solely through the lens of its effects on the United States. It’s rare that a political leader will visit and attract any attention, much less attract it outside of its direct implications to the United States. Seen through our lens, Francis’s politics are somewhat all over the place. He holds strongly liberal views on some things but also goes further, explicitly criticizing capitalism. On other things, he’s deeply conservative/ Washington Post . More here.

Question: Is the pope liberal? Conservative? Independent?