Latin American pope inspires N. Phila. worshipers

Parishioners attending the Spanish-language Mass on Sunday at St. Veronica Church in North Philadelphia were ecstatic about the election of Pope Francis, even using affectionate nicknames to refer to the first Latin American pontiff.

"Papa Pancho" and "Paco" are among the Spanish references to Pope Francis that Martiza Delgado said she was hearing in her heavily Latino neighborhood.

"It's marvelous," Delgado, 48, who immigrated from Ecuador two decades ago, said of the new pope's Latin American roots.

The Rev. David M. Vidal, who presided over Sunday's service, said that when the pope was cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires, he was known for his deep connection to the people.

"He was always working for the poor," said Vidal, an Argentine who was ordained in 2001 and who began serving at St. Veronica in September. He quoted the Holy Father heavily in his sermon Sunday.

"As the pope said, 'The Lord never gets tired of forgiving,' " Vidal told the congregation, repeating the words the pope had used earlier in the day in Rome as he celebrated Mass in a small Vatican church.

The priest echoed Pope Francis' statements that "we need to be rooted in Christ" and that the church should "not cater to the pope but to Christ."

Vidal said one of the pope's key jobs would be to evangelize and draw in more followers to the church.

That clearly is needed at St. Veronica, where about 250 people attended Sunday's Mass, filling only half of the pews. Year after year, St. Veronica has seen a steady drop in membership, which Vidal attributed to a shift in the population.

Between 2000 and 2010, the non-Hispanic population dropped by 26 percent in St. Veronica's area, according to figures provided by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Latinos now account for three-fourths of that section of the city.

The archdiocese has reached out for decades to the Hispanic community with Spanish-language Masses, offering them at 37 churches in addition to St. Veronica, a spokeswoman said.

A 37-year-old St. Veronica parishioner who came from Guatemala 16 years ago and asked to be identified only by his first name, Byron, said Pope Francis had a huge advantage in evangelizing. He said the pontiff knows how to communicate with Hispanics because he is a Latino and knows the culture.

Other parishioners said the church's new leader must quickly deal with the stain of sex-abuse scandals if he hopes to increase the Catholic ranks.

"The abuse, it's got to be eliminated," said Raul Rosado, who came from Puerto Rico 35 years ago.

He noted that St. Veronica was not immune to the issue of problem priests.

Msgr. Richard T. Powers, who served at St. Veronica and in parishes across the region, was suspended last year by the archdiocese after allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl two decades ago.

Victor Quinones, 70, echoed Rosado's concerns, saying the church must "clean up the abuses."

"No cover-ups," Quinones said. "It's got to be fair with everyone."