( CNN ) -- Does it matter that the new pope comes from Argentina ? It matters greatly , because Argentina shaped the life and the views of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio , now Pope Francis . Through Francis , Argentina will help shape the church . More than any country in Latin American , Argentina is a nation of immigrants , with an unlikely mix of inhabitants -- including one of the world 's largest Jewish communities . It is nation that has undergone enormous political upheaval , where the human rights abuses of a cruel military dictatorship remain an open wound . It is country of great natural wealth and a proud culture on impressive display , but one in which poverty and inequality remain urgent problems . The College of Cardinals elected the first pope from the Americas in its history and the first non-European in more than a thousand years . But the choice is important for more than symbolic reasons . The times in which we live test us and mold us . They are our crucible . In Argentina , Bergoglio was tested and we can see some of the ways in which he was molded . By examining his career in Buenos Aires we can gain some insight into his coming papacy . As archbishop of Buenos Aires , Bergoglio had an extraordinarily close relationship with the city 's Jewish community . He worked together with them on anti-poverty programs and co-authored a book with a rabbi . As part of that relationship he was willing to address the Catholic Church 's controversial role during the Holocaust , supporting the need to open the Vatican files to find out the truth . This suggests he might be open to lifting some of the secrecy that has shrouded the Vatican in other controversies , perhaps even including the recent child sexual abuse scandals . Opinion : Pope Francis , open up the church . He showed a commitment to interfaith relations , respect for other religions , and a determination to fight for justice . He attended Rosh Hashana services , lit Hanukkah candles , and pushed the Argentinean government to persevere with a stalled investigation of a 1994 attack against a Jewish community center , the worst terrorist attack in Argentina 's history . He showed his commitment to finding the truth was not a matter of offering a sound-bite , but of pursuing justice ; again , a possible hint of things to come . His selection was widely celebrated in Argentina . Like every other Argentinean , this pope will be a devout soccer fan . The soccer superstar Diego Maradona proclaimed , `` The god of soccer is Argentinean , and now the pope is , too . It makes our country joyful . '' But not everyone in Argentina is celebrating . Some human rights activists say Bergoglio 's behavior during the dictatorship that consumed Argentina from 1976-1983 was shameful . During the years of military rule , the regime abducted and killed up to 30,000 people . During most of that time , Bergoglio was head of the Jesuit order . The Catholic Church generally supported the dictatorship . In the book `` The Silence , '' by investigative reporter Horacio Verbitsky , Bergoglio is accused of deliberately failing to protect two Jesuit priests who were captured and imprisoned by the government . In a separate case from that era , Bergoglio has been called to testify about the kidnapping of a baby , part of a regime practice of stealing the children of imprisoned activists and handing them for adoption by prominent families . Elena de la Cuadra says she and her husband were kidnapped and their baby stolen . They claim Bergoglio failed to intercede when he was asked , and accuse him of having knowledge of the practice and not speaking out . Navarrette : Pope pick a signal to Latino Catholics . Bergoglio denies the accusations , and his supporters , including Argentinean Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Perez Esquivel say they are not true . More recently , Bergoglio has not shied away from challenging the government . He vehemently rejected support for same-sex marriage , calling gay rights legislation `` a machination of the Father of Lies . '' And he forcefully criticized the government for what he viewed as a failure to tackle poverty and inequality . Much has been written about his disdain for earthly comforts -- he prefers the bus to a chauffeur-driven limousine and cooked his own meals until now -- but his activism on behalf of the poor has been just as much a hallmark of his life . While he rejects `` Liberation Theology , '' a radical social and political ideology , he supports an aggressive policy to promote equality . And in what will be a papacy guided by conservative moral standards on most issues , his past suggests that the fight against poverty will take a primary role . He has declared that `` human rights are not violated just by terrorism , repression and assassination , but also by unjust economic structures that produce great inequality . '' Living in Argentina during the years of dictatorship and during times of economic upheaval that created more poverty put the new pope in a position to make moral choices . Other popes before him faced the challenges of their time . Opinion : Pope Francis - A conservative who sides with the poor . His immediate predecessor , Pope Benedict XVI , came of age in Nazi Germany and , like other people of his generation , was a member of the Hitler Youth and served in the German military . He tried to explain those circumstances to critics during his papacy . Before him , Pope John Paul II grew up under communist rule in Poland , a fact that played a key role in his papacy when he helped inspire the fall of the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe . Pope Francis grew up in a different place , with a different history . He lived in a country with a large Catholic majority , but one where most people are not particularly devout . He will try to make Catholicism relevant , particularly to the poor , and he has shown he is not likely to promote a theology that seeks to demonize or distance itself from those who practice other religions . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frida Ghitis .
Frida Ghitis : Argentina has unique makeup , circumstances that were crucible for new pope . She says Francis had close , good relationship with country 's large Jewish community . She says he 's been accused of abetting dictator there in '70s , '80s ; He denies this . Ghitis : He 's conservative , has shown interest in inequality , sees poverty as rights issue .