Pope Francis is a name the world will never forget. As the first Latin American pontiff, Dr. Luis Cortes, Assistant Professor of American Literature and Culture Studies at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, shared just how significant his representation was to the latino community.
“Catholics in Latin America have long waited to see some representation in the Vatican and this was sort of our guy. So to lose him was kind of a big deal,” Cortes said.
Cortes said Pope Francis worked to incorporate historically disenfranchised people, like migrants.
“This pope was very vocal about protecting the human dignity and rights of these migrants. He wasn’t necessarily saying have open borders, but he was saying how you do this matters and how you protect these peoples human rights matters,” Cortes said.
Globally today, Latin America and the Caribbean have the largest share of catholics. 43% of the U.S population who are latino or hispanic identify as catholic, including some in Cortes’s very own classroom.
“I think it would be wonderful to hold a space so that we can all process. Even if we don’t practice the faith we can understand why this moment is significant,” Cortes said.
Significant, but also familiar, reminding some of Pope John Paul II.
“Both of these popes who meant so much to the Latin American community would leave us around Easter time, which is significant to us catholics,” Cortes said.
He adds that the world lost a very good person.
“He was embraced by Latin American communities because he was so humane.”
He said whoever becomes pope next will have to decide whether to continue with Pope Francis’s trajectory or change things up once again.
“The future of the catholic church and the presence of latinos in the catholic church is at a sort of crossroads right now,” Cortes said.
After the mourning period, the process to elect the next pope will start in about ten to 15 days.
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