Pope Leo's views on LGBT Catholics are a mystery — but we have clues
My husband and I stood in St. Peter's Square waiting for white smoke, our eyes darting from the giant screens near us to the tiny chimney in the distance. As minutes ticked by, the crowd grew in size, but expectations seemed to diminish. Yet shortly after 6 p.m., white smoke appeared. The cardinals had elected a pope.
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Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Cupich celebrates 50 years as a priest. ‘Every day was an opportunity to live out my priesthood.'
In one of the most exhilarating moments in his half century as a priest, Cardinal Blase Cupich watched in awe from an adjacent balcony in May as newly-elected Chicago native Pope Leo XIV gave his first address to the world on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica, While the experience was unprecedented, the head of the Chicago Archdiocese says he has felt that same spirit of joy and elation laced throughout his five-decade career, ever since he was ordained Aug. 16, 1975. 'I have to say that I brought the same excitement of that day to every day that I've been a priest,' he told the Tribune during a recent interview. 'I've always looked for moments in which being a priest could be a benefit to other people.' Cupich will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination with a golden jubilee Mass at 5:15 p.m. Saturday at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. The service will be livestreamed for those who can't attend in person. Despite major challenges facing the global Catholic Church — from financial woes to ongoing fallout from the church sex abuse crisis — Cupich says his love for pastoring and service hasn't waned since his ordination five decades ago. 'Whether I was teaching kids in high school my first years after I was ordained or serving in the Vatican embassy in Washington, D.C., or being the pastor of a parish, and then of course being named bishop, I always felt that every day was an opportunity to live out my priesthood,' he added. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1949, the grandson of Croatian immigrants believes his roots helped shape his ministry and leadership, particularly in an ethnically and racially diverse part of the country such as Chicago, where he was installed as archbishop in 2014. At the helm of the third-largest Catholic archdiocese in the country, he serves roughly 2 million Catholics at 216 parishes. Cupich, the third of nine children in a devoutly Catholic home, recalled his grandparents 'tried as immigrants to come here and start a life and family that would become more prosperous than where they came from.' 'And I think that is the story of all immigrants,' the 76-year-old cardinal said. 'That's why I'm so very focused on immigrants' rights, not only to protect their dignity but also to make sure that the country doesn't forget that we've been enriched by immigration.' Often deemed more a pastoral leader and less authoritarian in style than his predecessor, the late Cardinal Francis George, Cupich has been criticized by a more conservative faction of Catholics for his focus on issues such as gun violence and poverty, as opposed to more politically right-of-center causes such as abortion opposition. Illinois abortion opponents last year condemned Cupich for giving the invocation on the opening night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, an event that included pro-reproductive rights organizations, including Planned Parenthood. Yet the archbishop of Chicago says that he's championed the dignity and sanctity of human life throughout his ministry, adding that 'the full gamut of issues that deal with respect for life have always been a center of my attention.' 'It may be that people don't see that gun violence and poverty and homelessness and war and peace are necessarily pro-life. I would disagree with that,' he said. 'I think that the Holy See, the teachings of the church and the catechism and the works done by (Pope) John Paul II all the way to Pope Leo are very clear: We have to have a consistent ethic of life.' In 2016, Cupich's influence over the international church expanded when Pope Francis elevated him to cardinal at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. During the ceremony, he received the iconic red hat, also known as a biretta, which symbolizes a cardinal's willingness to shed blood in service of the church. The service was attended by then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the governor at the time, Bruce Rauner, as well as members of Cupich's family. 'I told myself, as I went up to the pope to receive the red biretta, that I was going to just drink in the moment and enjoy it as much as I could and be present to the situation. And not be distracted by anything else,' Cupich recalled. 'It was a proud moment, not just for me, but I think for Chicago. Chicago has had a special place in the life of the church and I think that was recognized on that occasion.' As cardinal, Cupich took part in the papal conclave's May historic election of Pope Leo, the first American-born leader of the world's estimated 1.4 billion Catholics, who grew up in south suburban Dolton. During Pope Leo's first three months, Cupich has seen a renewed spirit among local Catholics as well as excitement across the area among folks of all faiths and backgrounds that a Chicago native was named pontiff. It's like nothing the archbishop has seen in his 50 years of service since ordination as a priest. 'There's a new pride that I'm seeing in having the pope come from Chicago, for people to know that Chicago produced a pope,' he added. 'So there is a new kind of energy that I'm seeing.'
CBS News
12-08-2025
- CBS News
Chicago nonprofit Ignite helping youth experiencing homelessness rebuild their lives
Chicago students are getting ready to go back to school soon, but if you don't have a home, getting good grades is even tougher. A Chicago nonprofit called Ignite gives kids experiencing homelessness the foundation to launch their future lives. Using an orange mobile outreach van, Ignite travels around the city to bring services to young people experiencing homelessness. "Anything from information on what we can to for them to our safe sex kits to our hygiene packs to our food. We can pass out all those things right here," said Ignite director of outreach and prevention Chineze Mogbo. It's a way to reach kids who need help, especially since they say it's often difficult to tell their friends, teachers, or others in their lives that they're struggling with homelessness. "We help them move from survival to resilience," said Ignite president and CEO Stephanie Piccirilli. "We work with them one on one to find out what they need to rebuild their life and move forward so that they can grow into a young adult and thrive." Ignite started in 1976, after Congress passed a law providing funding to help runaway youth. "We were able to be funded through that act, and start out doing street outreach. We had an office in the Greyhound bus station," Piccirilli said. The organization has grown a lot since then, now helping around 700 young people every year, and not just with housing. "Ignite's a place where you can be very comfortable. … It feels like a normal environment for teenagers and young adults," said Saniah Perry, who attended the Sparks program at Ignite, which helps people prepare for their careers. "Not only did it give me a job, but it gave me friends. Last summer, when I was working at Sparks, I was very reserved and I didn't really want to leave my house … and Sparks gave me an outlet to go outside every day to talk to people, to learn more about other people, and not just only be inside yourself." After being part of Ignite, Perry and others like her are prepared for a brighter future.
New York Post
09-08-2025
- New York Post
Nagasaki mayor warns about possibility of nuclear war 80 years after A-bomb
NAGASAKI – Thousands bowed their heads in prayer in Nagasaki on Saturday to mark the 80th anniversary of the city's atomic bombing, as the mayor warned that current global conflicts could push the world again into nuclear war. The western Japanese city was levelled on August 9, 1945, when the United States dropped a 10,000-pound plutonium-239 bomb, nicknamed 'Fat Man', instantly killing some 27,000 of the city's estimated 200,000 people. By the end of 1945, the death toll from acute radiation exposure had reached about 70,000. Nagasaki's destruction came three days after a U.S. uranium-235 bomb destroyed Hiroshima. Advertisement 6 Catholics leave Urakami Cathedral for a peace march to Hypocenter Park, on the 80th anniversary of the bombing of the city of Nagasaki. REUTERS 6 Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offers a flower wreath for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing. REUTERS Japan surrendered on August 15, ending World War Two. After a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m., marking the time of the blast, Mayor Shiro Suzuki called on leaders to return to the principles of the U.N. Charter and show a concrete path toward abolishing nuclear weapons, warning that delay was 'no longer permissible'. Advertisement 'This is a crisis of human survival that is closing in on each and every one of us,' Suzuki told the crowd, estimated by Japanese media at 2,700. He quoted the testimony of a survivor to illustrate the reality of a nuclear attack: 'Around me were people whose eyeballs had popped out… Bodies were strewn about like stones.' 'Is it not this 'global citizen' perspective that will serve as the driving force behind stitching back together our fragmented world?' Suzuki asked, calling for a solution based on mutual understanding and solidarity. Advertisement The U.S. military is believed to have chosen Nagasaki as a target due to its significance as a major industrial and port city. The city's geographical features, including its hilly terrain, were also thought to concentrate the blast. 6 The Japanese city was hit on August 9, 1945, when the United States dropped a 10,000-pound plutonium-239 bomb, instantly killing some 27,000 of Nagasaki's estimated 200,000 people. Buyenlarge via Getty Images 6 'This is a crisis of human survival that is closing in on each and every one of us,' Mayor Shiro Suzuki said, calling for a concrete path to abolishing nuclear weapons. AP Advertisement Representatives from 95 countries and territories, including nuclear superpower the United States, and Israel — which neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons — attended the annual ceremony at the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Park for the milestone year. Russia, which possesses the world's largest nuclear stockpile, was also represented. Daiji Kawanaka, a 14-year-old tourist from Osaka, echoed the mayor's sentiments. 6 Doves are released over the Peace Statue during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the atomic bombing at the Peace Park in Nagasaki. AP 'I truly believe a tragedy like this must never be repeated,' he told Reuters, saying the anniversary prompts conversations about peace even among his young peers. 'We can only pledge to take the initiative ourselves in making a step toward peace.' Japan's leading organization of A-bomb survivors, Nihon Hidankyo, won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for campaigning for a world without nuclear weapons. Survivors, known as 'hibakusha', continue to suffer the effects from radiation and social discrimination. 6 Japan is the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks. REUTERS Advertisement With their numbers falling below 100,000 for the first time this year, their stories fuel ongoing efforts to advocate for a nuclear-free world. Japan, the only country to have suffered nuclear attacks, has stated its commitment to nuclear disarmament but is not a signatory or observer of the U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons.
