Diocese of Phoenix Blog

Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares will be the first guest tonight on Horizonte, Eight’s weekly public affairs program which focuses on Arizona issues through a Hispanic lens.

Program host José Cárdenas and Bishop Nevares discuss Pope Francis and the upcoming Year of Faith pilgrimage to Mexico.

Tune in tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Eight, Arizona PBS.

Don’t miss The Catholic Sun’s 16-page special section devoted to our new Holy Father, Pope Francis. Lots of coverage and insights about the Argentine Cardinal-turned-pontiff, beautiful photos, and great local and international reaction conveying the excitement of the historic moment:

Fr. John Muir, assistant director at both the All Saints Catholic Newman Center in Tempe and the diocesan Office of Worship and Liturgy, was also in St. Peter’s Square. He blogged, Tweeted via social media and granted many media interviews about his experience.

“It’s winning the Super Bowl, combined with being a foster child and getting a new dad,” he wrote in a March 13 blogpost.

Read the story at The Catholic Sun. The special section featuring Pope Francis hits mailboxes this week.

catholicsun.org

‘Buona sera,’ Pope Francis

It was on that day, Wednesday March 13, when Catholics around the world rejoiced with an outpouring of love and praise for God. For as it goes, the College of Cardinals guided the Holy Spirit to elect the next leader of the world’s 1 billion Catholics. It was after just five ballots that the humble, gentle cardinal stepped out onto the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square as Pope Francis, greeting the world with the words: “Buona sera” — good evening.

And the crowd went crazy.

catholicsun.org

Phoenix area Catholics celebrate pope’s election

At St. Mary’s High School, faculty, students and parents rejoiced following the selection of the first Latin American pope.

“I’m so excited, I felt like a sheep without a shepherd,” said the Rev. Robert Bolding, president and rector of the central Phoenix school, where classroom activities were temporarily suspended to celebrate the announcement.

Classrooms with televisions were crammed with young men and women eager to catch a glimpse of the Catholic Church’s new leader.

“I’m really looking forward to what our new pope has to bring to Latin America and the rest of world,” said St. Mary’s junior Adriana Dealba.

“I’m sure he’ll do the best for the church,” student Hector Salinas said. “This is a new beginning; hopefully, he can bring peace to Latin America and the rest of the world.”

azcentral.com

Diocese of Phoenix expert interviewed on KPHO CBS 5 about Pope Francis

Canon law expert Nicole Delaney was featured on KPHO CBS 5 News this morning and discussed yesterday’s election of Pope Francis and what it means for the Catholic Church.

kpho.com

Valley Catholics react to Pope Francis’ election

Mia Garcia, reporting for FOX 10 News:

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix added, “What’s very significant for me about this new election is we have someone from what we call the new world, so America has a new Pope.”

Olmsted says he can’t wait to meet Pope Francis and says he can already tell a lot about the way the Pope will lead the church, by his name choice.

“I think it indicates that he really wants, like St. Francis, to bring a whole new energetic engagement with the world, including the non-Christian world.”

Pope Francis appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 13. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected the 266th Roman Catholic pontiff. He is the first Jesuit and first Latin American pope. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Text of Pope Francis’ remarks from balcony after his election.