Latino faithful back appointment of new pope of Hispanic origins

LYNN – As members of one of the fastest-growing constituencies of the Catholic Church, Spanish-speaking parishioners attending Ash Wednesday Mass in Lynn said they wouldn’t mind seeing a Latino pope take the retiring Pope Benedict XVI’s place.”I would like to see a Latino pope,” said Luz Maria Figuera as she staked out an early spot for a 5 p.m. Spanish-language Mass at St. Joseph’s Church on Union Street. “It would improve the church.”As the European Pope Benedict becomes the first pope in almost 600 years to retire, attention from Vatican watchers shifts to who will replace him. And someone from Latin America, home to 40 percent of the world’s Catholics, could be an obvious choice, according to an Associated Press report quoting Venezuelan Cardinal Jorge Urosa, who urged more Latin American papal candidates.See also:Lynn’s English-speaking Catholics speak of global issuesBy 2025, almost half of all Catholics will be in Latin America, Africa and Asia, according to the Associated Press.Back in Lynn, parishioner Ileana Llavina said she thinks the attention on Latin America’s Catholic leaders can raise the profile of little-known bishops from her native Central America.And while that’d be nice, she and other Spanish-speaking Catholics who spoke to The Daily Item said they’re not too concerned about where the church’s next pope comes from as long as he accurately reflects the church.The future of the church, Llavina said, is global.”I think that the future of the church can encompass all countries, not just Europe. South America can be can be involved in that as well,” Llavina said.Luz Maria Dominguez agreed.She said that one’s dedication to Catholic teachings is a bigger unifier than one’s country of origin.”It doesn’t matter your nationality; your principal focus is to the church,” she said, explaining that human problems come and go, but “the church and religion are always going to be here.”Despite the uncertainty that now faces the church’s elite leadership, Dominguez and other St. Latino Joseph parishioners said they support the pope’s decision to step down.The 85-year-old pope was ailing, and he gracefully relinquished his duties to someone younger who could handle such a trying job, said Victoria Mora.”It’s a very big responsibility,” Mora said. “Very, very, very big.”Mora cited the pope’s Ash Wednesday speech, where he said made the decision to retire “in front of God.”That was all Mora said she needed to hear to approve of Benedict’s unprecedented announcement.”If it’s made in front of God, then it’s perfect,” she said.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].