The pope is TIME magazine’s man of the year–but can he deliver on institutional changes? He’s embraced the poor and snuck out of the Vatican to help homeless people. He’s openly embraced LGBT believers as well as atheists. And the election of the first pope from Latin America may be a symbolic shift in where the Catholic Church’s followers lie. NPR’s Cokie Roberts joined Maria Hinojosa to talk about how the media as well as everyday Catholics see him.
Cokie Roberts is a regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edtion. At NPR she previously served as the congressional correspondent for more than 10 years. In addition to her work for NPR, Roberts is a political commentator for ABC News, providing analysis for all network news programming.
Dear María: We have in this country a great many Latino/a theologians and experts on Roman Catholicism of Hispanic background. I cannot imagine why you would not put one of us on your show to cover a theme like this one — of an Argentinian pope and his importance for Latin@s in this country. With all due respect to Cokie Roberts, you can find much more expertise on the questions at the center of this broacast talking to a Latino/a theologian or religious historian. Feel free to contact me in the future if you want names of some truly qualified experts in this field.
Jorge Aquino
Associate Professor of Theology & Religious Studies and Latin American Studies, University of San Francisco
President-elect, Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS)
And a Latina repirter couldn’t find one of dozens of Latino/a theologians and scholars of religion in the country? Really? Someone didn’t do her homework.