Here’s Why The Pope Is More Popular With Latinos Than Pretty Much Any American Politician
*Many Latinos get it. So this may be best directed to non-Latinos. So share this with someone not in the choir, that they may better understand Francis’s popularity among Latinos. VL
By Roque Planas, Huffington Post Latino Voices
NEW YORK — José Espinal first settled in the Brooklyn neighborhood of South Williamsburg in 1965, surrounded by other people who, like him, were born in the Dominican Republic. A devout Catholic, he’s looking forward to Pope Francis’ visit to the United States on Tuesday, partly because Espinal sympathizes with the new pope’s message of compassion for undocumented immigrants.
[pullquote]He will give most of his speeches in his gently Italian-inflected Argentine Spanish, allowing him to connect at a more visceral level with recent migrants and Spanish-speaking Americans, who also speak English.[/pullquote]“I have the same respect for him that I have for the previous popes, because they’re all doing the same work,” Espinal, 75, told The Huffington Post after mass at the Transfiguration Parish. “But obviously, considering that he’s Latino, we’re a little bit closer to him,” he added, with a playful smile.
As Francis prepares to make his first U.S. trip since taking the reins of the Catholic hierarchy, his visit will be watched especially closely by Latinos — and not just because he’s the first Latin American to hold the office.
He will give most of his speeches in his gently Italian-inflected Argentine Spanish, allowing him to connect at a more visceral level with recent migrants and Spanish-speaking Americans, who also speak English. He will meet with immigrants in New York City, including people like Christian Contreras, one of more than 100,000 unaccompanied minors to cross illegally into the United States over the last three years, seeking refuge from the violence of Central America. Francis will canonize Junípero Serra, who worked as a Spanish missionary in California in the 18th century and will become the first American Hispanic saint.
But just as importantly for many Hispanics, the first Latino pope will likely deliver a series of messages that embody a popular strain of Latin American progressivism rooted in the application of New Testament teachings to tackle social problems.
Francis has captured the world’s attention with his compassionate messages, which have allowed priests more latitude to forgive some acts the church views as serious transgressions,like abortion. And also to take steps to embrace the LGBT community — though stopping short of abandoning the biblical definition of marriage being between a man and a woman. Francis has personally cast off some of the symbols of wealth traditionally associated with the church, urging the hierarchy to adopt an attitude of humility more consistent with an institution designed to serve the poor.
And perhaps most important to Hispanic Catholics like Espinal, [tweet_dis]Francis has emerged as an international champion of immigrants, whether documented or undocumented, whether Syrian or Central American.[/tweet_dis]
“It’s marvelous,” Espinal said . “He supports our immigrant brothers who don’t have papers, whom people here call ‘illegals’ — something I don’t agree with.”
“They call them ‘illegals,’ but they’re coming to make a living here fairly and to work for the well-being of their families. Why call them ‘illegal?’ I don’t … I’m very much in agreement with our Holy Father about that,” he added.
It’s not just the pope’s common ancestry that appeals to Hispanics, but his message of compassion. Jackie Cruz, 47, who grew up in the same South Williamsburg neighborhood as Espinal
This article was originally published in Huffington Post Latino Voices.
[Photo by Republic of Korea/Flickr]
