DENVER — The selection of a new pope is top of mind for many Catholic parishioners in Colorado. At the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, Wednesday’s noon mass had a different tone on this historic day.
“Who would you like to see as the new pope and why?” asked Denver7’s Russell Haythorn.
“Cardinal (Robert) Sarah is a very holy man,” said one parishioner. “Pro-Catholicism, so anti-abortion.”
“Well, I’m hopeful,” said parishioner Eduardo Flores. “I’m a practicing Catholic. I’m kind of rooting for Cardinal Sarah. And I’ve been praying for the best outcome. He’s very traditional and I like that. He seems a little more old-school, so I appreciate that.”
- What is Denver7 | Your Voice? Read about the new project here
“If it comes to personal things at least with the youth, I see a lot of youth and they like the traditional things, so maybe a pope who upholds traditions or maybe brings back older traditions, said parishioner David Bieler. “A lot of the youth, as I said, they like the Latin masses.”
“One of my friends told me that she has a group, and a lot of people are betting on who’s going to be the pope and what not,” said Christian Rice. “Which is kind of funny, but she told me to look into the cardinal from the Philippians. Right now, I just want to learn more about who these people are because at the end of the day – whoever becomes pope does have a huge platform.”
“Cardinal Pizzaballa is a very holy man, also,” said Flores.
“When it comes to Pope Francis, you have to think about where Pope Francis was from,” said a female parishioner. “So, he was in Argentina. So, of course, there was a very political direction. And he was very compassionate toward people, and he even left his last few dollars to the prison, to the young people who were in jail. That’s very compassionate and that’s a good way to go. But no
false idols.”
“When it comes to a more humble opinion – all I ask is for a pope that is at least devout, but more importantly – faithful,” Bieler said.
“Most of my friends say – why are you following that?” said a parishioner. “And I say, ‘Because this is history. This is – what’s going to happen in the next few days – we’ll have a new pope. Hopefully, we’ll have a holy pope.”
“My mom sent me the last words that Pope Francis said, and they were very inspiring,” said Rice. “And so, I recently become more spiritual. So, right now my goal is just to learn as much as I can. The main interest I have is developing a closer relationship to my mom and my grandma because my mom’s side – they’re all Catholic. So, growing up – I was exposed to some of the traditions. I want to be able to talk to my mom and talk to my grandma about the traditions that they learned growing up.”
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
