Leo XIV, a mestizo Pope for a universal church

[Dolores]

In an editorial on 13 May 2025, Diario Libre executive editor Anibal de Castro focuses on the reality that the DR is a mixed race and ancestry country.

The editorialist writes:

“The election of Leo XIV as Supreme Pontiff has brought about more than just a name change at the Vatican summit. It has brought to the surface a history that many would prefer to ignore: the multiple, complex, and in this case, mestizo origins of the new leader of the Catholic Church.

The fact that the Pope has Dominican blood and Afro-descendant Creole heritage and that one of his grandfathers was classified as “black” in 19th-century America, should not cause much surprise.

But it does: unfortunately, we continue to drag along a cultural discomfort —a visceral resistance— to accept that the Dominican, the Catholic, and the universal can simultaneously be black, mestizo, Creole, and proudly...

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[Joseph NY2STI]

I know it may be a curiosity for some, but I wish people would give it up already. He is the head of the Catholic (universal) church. He was elected because his brother cardinals believe he is best suited to be the successor to St Peter, the first (Jewish) pope, not because of his DNA. The obsession with his background infantilizes both him and his position IMHO.