I’m praying for this new pope from the United States who has roots in the 7th Ward. That was a mind-blowing moment for me,’ ...

WESTWOOD: He says to learn that the pope has Black ancestors ... never said it had to be uniform. WESTWOOD: Ricard is also the campus minister at St. Augustine, an all-boys Black Catholic high ...

The way the news of the new pope’s heritage was made public speaks to the complexity of discussions of race in the U.S.

Black smoke has poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney, indicating no pope was elected on the first ballot of the conclave to choose a new leader of the Catholic Church.