Pope hailed as 'pontiff of the poor' by noted Greek atheist and leftist leader

Europe's left has a new ally in their fight for the poor, says Greece's opposition leader-the noted atheist and radical leftist Alexis Tsipras-after he concluded unofficial talks with Pope Francis on September 18.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Tsipras, the leader of the Syriza political party, said that the unlikely alliance between the left and the Catholic Church can endure, because even though "we come from different ideological starting points but we believe that we intersect on common values such as solidarity, love for one's fellow human beings, social justice and our anxiousness for world peace."

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After the meeting at the Vatican, Tsipras called Francis the "pontiff of the poor".

The two leaders met to speak about many of the issues that Europe faces today; including the current economic crisis, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East that threaten to drag in the rest of Europe, and the massive influx of immigrants that can further destabilize already hard hit nations.

"It was a meeting of the like-minded," said Panos Skourletis, Syriza's spokesman.

"The pope has a disposition for dialogue with people of other backgrounds, outside the church. He believes in dialogue between the church and the left."

One of the key issues during the talks was the refusal of European powers to spend money to help out the poor and those most hard hit by the economic crisis.

Tsipras has long been a critic of the so-called European austerity, and Francis agreed with his condemnation of the practice.

"I had the chance to convey the picture that exists at this time in Greece. To tell him that after four years of impasse and unfair austerity policies, the majority of Greek people are paying [a great price] while at the same time banks are being saved," he said.

The Pope affirmed support for the left's fight against these cost cutting measures, which they say are hurting the poorer classes in Greece, while helping the wealthy retain and make money.

"You young politicians speak a different language that resembles a melody of hope," he was quoted as saying.

Well known as an atheist and anti-religious, Tsipras did not think his talks with the pope should seem odd, saying that the opening talks with Francis were part of strengthening the left to fight against inequalities in Europe.

"We agreed on the need to continue the dialogue between the European left and the Christian church," he said. "There is a need to create an ecumenical alliance against poverty, inequalities, against the logic that markets and profits are above people."

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