Catholicism: Noun. 1. Most Amount Of Guilt, Least Amount Of Accountability

The Catholics have a new Pope. Like the last Pope, he's an older fella. Unlike the last Pope, he hails from Latin America. Score for the Latino folk! At least, it seemed that way at first glance. Now that the honeymoon period is ending, people are going over Pope Francis with a fine-toothed comb and pointing out that, although he hails from Argentina, he is not actually Latino. That is correct, although he was born in Argentina, his heritage is Italian on both sides. And that has spurred a debate about what makes someone Latino. I would venture to guess that Padre Jorge has never thought twice about whether or not he's "really" a part of Latino culture. He grew up amongst it, he chose to return to his homeland and serve those people. His living and working in Buenos Aires is no different from me living and working in the United States. My heritage is Mexican, my nationality is American. The Pope's heritage is Italian and his nationality is Argentinian, therefore referring to him as the first Pope from a Latin American country, or the first Argentinian Pope is correct. But it's interesting how selective people can be. Had an American with Irish ancestry been elected Pope, he would've been referred to as an American and no one would have made a big deal about the Irish part. So why are we now backtracking on Pope Francis and trying to take his election away from Argentina? Latinos are proud people and if someone who has immersed himself in the culture makes it out the hood, especially when he upgrades to the Vatican, there will be massive celebration and congratulations over it. As there should be. Just because he is not Latino by blood does not mean we can't be a little extra excited about the whole thing. Having worked within that environment for so long, I'm sure he understands it and understands what is important to this particular section of the Church more than any of his predecessors. And Latinos are a huge part of the Catholic church so it can't hurt to have him in power. I don't like when people turn stuff into something about race. Who we become is not just about the DNA running through our veins, it is also about the environment we are brought up in. It is about who we gravitate towards as we get older and are able to choose our friends. My best friend has no Latin blood, she's half-white and half-Indian, but she was raised in a predominantly Latino neighborhood and schools. She's fluent in Spanish and passionate about causes that affect Latinos because that is family to her. If the two of us grew up in Mexico and she ascended to power (*shudder*), I would be extremely proud and supportive, just as the Argentinians are about Francis. I wouldn't care that she had no Latin blood in her. He doesn't have to share that bloodline in order to appeal to and attempt to elevate that section of the population.
I took a survey sometime ago (I don't remember for what) where I was asked a question about whether I identified more with Latino culture or American culture. I selected the option that said I identified equally with both, but I thought it was a silly question to begin with. It seemed to insinuate that if I swung too much to the Latino side, I was less American. If I swung too much to the American side, then I was less Latino and thoroughly "Americanized". My family has been here for four generations, I AM fully Americanized. But that doesn't mean I know nothing of where we came from. I understand that some families ditch traditions from the motherland because they want to fit in better, and I get that a lot of people prefer it that way and think we should all "speak English" and forget where we came from. And that doesn't make sense to me. Does anyone tell Italians, the Irish or any other racial group not to brag about their roots or traditions? No. And someone from any other background would not have been asked how American they feel. Native Americans are the only...well, Native Americans. The rest of us came here later and are all immigrants. And most have faced prejudice of some kind since their arrival. Who was in steerage on the Titanic in 1912? Italians and Irish folk (and one black dude!). Who were considered second class citizens for eons? African-Americans. And now, it's the Latino folk who are fighting to be treated as equals. And it's almost as if we've taken steps back, instead of forward. When I was a kid, there was no blanket assumption that we all spoke Spanish and had all scaled the fence and arrived here illegally. People were different colors and that was fine. But now it's like a witch hunt in some places. People want to weed out the illegals and send them all back, regardless of whether they have children who were born here or if they are contributing to society in a good way. Everybody (except Native Americans) is an immigrant, some have just been here longer than others. I really can't wait until everyone is mixed and everyone is colorblind.
I don't get all the hate in the world yo. Let immigrants have a chance to become citizens. Let the gays marry. Let New Yorkers regulate their own soda intake. Let monkeys run congress (they could certainly do a better job). And let Latinos, and Argentina specifically, celebrate their new Pope and embrace him as one of their own. What does any of that change? (Well, except for the monkey thing.) It seems as if everybody has to try and regulate everything and tell people how to live their lives. This country is supposed to be about freedom but more and more of our liberties are being taken everyday. That's bad enough but it's even worse that people hide behind religion and claim it is the reason that two dudes can't marry, amongst other things. Who cares? How does the gay couple down the block getting married, or the woman in the cubicle next to you buying a big ass soda affect your life? Answer: It doesn't. Does it affect most Catholics that Pope Francis is an Italian who hails from Argentina? Yes and no. Listen, if he can turn around a religion that has strayed wildly off course, and if his heritage and/or nationality bring some folks back into the fold, great. Catholicism is a broken religion right now and it is the Church's own fault. But sometimes you need a kick in the ass to start repairing things and get back on the right course. That's part of the reason why they chose this man to lead. I never really trusted the last Pope, he kinda creeped me out and reminded me of my Catholic school priest who was very quiet and socially awkward. The newbie seems to be very personable and already committed to changing the way things are run, at least in the Vatican. He seems very humble. But what comes next will depend on if he really follows through and casts out those who have been shuffled around for years due to shady stuff. If he does, then there's a chance Catholicism will eventually no longer be associated with covering up abuse. If he doesn't, then the message is that the way things are now is good enough, which couldn't be further from the truth. But even if the former happens, he's already an older dude and whoever comes next will have to continue his practices. I understand the mood amongst the Catholic folk now. There's excitement that there is new, promising blood in the Vatican but nervousness about what comes next. Everyone's still in the honeymoon period right now but once it passes, it'll be time for the work to begin. I may no longer be an official Catholic, but it's a bit like the mob in that I will forever have Catholic shame and views on certain things (they probably spike the Holy Water). I look forward to seeing if Pope Francis can resurrect the faith...or if the status quo will continue to be the norm.