South Floridians honor Pope Francis' life and legacy with Vigil Mass at Miami's Cathedral of St. Mary
People from all over South Florida joined the Archdiocese of Miami to pray for Pope Francis, who died Monday at the age of 88.
While the pope was buried in Italy, people from all over the world are feeling a great sense of loss with his passing.
CBS News Miami spoke with Archbishop Thomas Wenski of the Archdiocese of Miami, who said the loss of Pope Francis is being felt by everyone, not just Catholics.
"The pope is the leader of a billion Catholics and he's a man of great moral influence. And, he doesn't have any military weapons but he has moral weapons and weapons of the Gospel and of truth," he said. "And he has wielded them courageously."
When will there be a new pope?
After Pope Francis' funeral, nine days of mourning began, called the Novemdiales.
Eligible cardinals under the age of 80 — currently a group of about 135 — will gather in Rome to prepare for the papal conclave, the centuries-old process to select the next pope. The conclave usually begins around two weeks after a pope's death, so in this case, likely in early May.
During the conclave, eligible cardinals will isolate themselves and, behind closed doors in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, they will cast ballots for their choice, repeating the process until a candidate receives a two-thirds-plus-one majority. The ballots, which are paper, are burned after each round of voting.
If no choice has been reached, the ballots from that round send up black smoke from the chimney as they burn. When a new pope is finally selected, a cloud of white smoke is sent up to signal the momentous news to the world.
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Buzz Feed
8 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
People Who Switched Political Parties Explain Why They Left
Political affiliation in America is supposed to be a choice, but for most people, it functions more like inheritance — passed down through family, geography, and social networks without much active deliberation. Yet that assumed loyalty can fracture, sometimes gradually, sometimes in a single moment that forces a fundamental recalculation of where you actually stand. When u/Deimos7779 asked people who've switched political parties to explain what drove that shift, the responses revealed something deeper than personal conversion stories. They exposed the fault lines where personal experience collides with institutional politics — where the gaps between stated values and actual policy become impossible to ignore. From economic realities to military service to local governance, these accounts map the pressure points where political identity breaks down and rebuilds itself. Here's what pushed 29 people to abandon their political home — and what that says about the state of American democracy: "I was raised conservative, spent 27 years in the military. Got retirement jobs with other conservatives. I considered myself a moderate conservative. After I was laid off from a very well-paying job, I chose not to work. After a couple of months, I got bored and took a job stocking shelves in a local grocery store. Getting to know my coworkers REALLY opened my eyes. These folks were barely getting by. I mentioned I needed a root canal; their response was that it would be cheaper to get it pulled. Everyone was a paycheck away from homelessness, took multiple bus rides to and from work, and on Medicaid providers. I realized that a large portion of people were barely surviving, and things needed to change." "My stepmother had come from privilege and spent her life around privileged conservative Catholics. Then she decided to use her degree in psychology to help treat inmates and drug addicts. It took less than a month for her to realize the system really is rigged against the poor. All the criminals were born poor and never had a chance. Things she knew white people did and got a slap on the wrist for, she met multiple people of color serving long prison terms for. And this wasn't just based on their side either — she had all of their files and knew everything the state could know about them. Later, when she went to her church and started asking people to she had a crisis of faith for a bit, after no one wanted to live up to Jesus's ideals and help the poor." "My come-to-Jesus moment was when I found out some district in Pennsylvania (I think) was trying to end their free lunch program because too many kids were racking up debt. Some rich millionaire, a rags-to-riches kind of guy, offered to cover all the debt, but the superintendent refused, saying, 'The kids need to learn a lesson.' I flipped my shit so hard over that, I basically became radicalized instantly. I wasn't a hardcore Republican, but one of those edgy centrist types. Children being fed is my 101 principle. And if we, the richest nation, can't even give our kids a damn sandwich, then what the fuck are we doing?" "As a kid, my dad had a union job, so we were a few notches above poverty. I grew up hearing about lazy people, single moms, etc., but I was always told you'd make it if you just worked hard. While working low-end jobs, I met the hardest working people you can imagine, but things were never going to get better for them." "For me, it was because I was brought up as a fiscal and rule-of-law, constitutional-integrity conservative. As I got into my late 20s, I began to see that the Republican party was just as bad at blowing money and was worse at dealing with party member corruption (even before Trump). It was completely over when Trump got elected. I couldn't wrap my head around why anyone who was a conservative like me could EVER support Trump. It turns out that the number of people who actually care about the principles of an ideology is quite low. The vast majority is just, 'My tribe red, ug ug ug.'" "I grew up in a family that voted one way and one way only because 'that's what we do.' My mom even admitted that she picked her political party because that was what her great-grandmother — who died when she was a teen — picked. My mom still votes that way, but I don't think she realizes that her party is not what it originally was when she started voting. And if you listen to her long enough, you realize that her ideals don't align with them. But she will never admit that. Ironically, most of the family in my generation is the opposite of what our parents are." "I was a staunch Republican supporter in my youth because my dad was, because his dad was. But my first real experience with politics was watching the George H. Bush team tell me the sky was green ten times a day, and I realized these were not good people. My dad made the same decision at about the same time." "I moved from Republican to Independent because my party was ignoring and demonizing scientists and doctors in favor of religion and ideology, costing the lives and ruining the education of my fellow Americans." "As one of my coworkers said, 'I was a Reagan Republican my whole life. Now, I'm a fucking centrist, and my views haven't changed.'" "Voted Green to save the environment. Green Party won. Green Party did absolutely none of the things they promised and instead damaged the economy. Never voting for them again." "I was raised in a very conservative area, to the point that I remember being told the one girl in my grade who had Democratic parents was being abused because they were exposing her to those ideals. I naturally am an adventurer, so I went far away to college. Just meeting other people and cultures completely dismantled that entire structure within a year." "I went to college. Met new people and developed a profound sense of empathy. Going into the military later only strengthened my views." "I grew up in a conservative household in a red state. I then went to college and joined the Army, and that completely changed my view on social issues. What you do with your life isn't my concern. We all just want to be happy and loved. I vote left now (I also owe Obama a huge apology; he was a great president). I'm not happy with the Democratic Party either, but the right has lost their damn minds and I want no part of that." "After this last presidential election, I changed my party affiliation from Democratic to undeclared, not because I can see myself voting for a Republican, but because the Democratic Party needs to know that our confidence in them is badly damaged." "I realized I was voting for a label, not values. I started paying attention to policy over party." "When I was 18, I decided I was a Libertarian — thanks in large part to a high school teacher who fed us a bunch of shitty ideas via Ayn Rand books. Then, I turned 22 and realized the 'social freedom' aspect of the Libertarian Party was complete bullshit. Now, I typically vote for the Democratic Party, while lamenting a lack of more progressive candidates." "I tried to actually do research and talk to people of specific groups instead of consuming only what pundits and YouTubers told me." "I was pretty apolitical but Republican for 10 years. I switched to Independent after their COVID response and the first impeachment. I switched to Democratic after January 6." "My mom was in the Navy her whole life and mostly apolitical, but bought into 'Republicans = military support' propaganda from the Reagan years. She wasn't a big Trump fan — albeit she doesn't really watch the news — but voted for him in 2016 because it's just what she does. During COVID, she decided she wasn't going to vote. Then, after January 6, she decidedly turned against Trump. When he formally got the nomination, she actively worked against him." "I was and still am a Democrat. However, I went from extremely left to moderate because there is a certain level of leftist orthodoxy where it's literally impossible to have an open conversation without being shouted down. My issue isn't really the ideas so much as the absolutism — there's no room for dissension. I feel like people who are extreme on either end of the spectrum have more in common with each other than people who are a little more moderate. I feel like there's this attitude where there's no room for compromise, so we have to burn it all down — both far right and far left say that kind of thing." "Trump the first time. I served my country in combat, came home broken, but found my way in law enforcement. I had a sense of brotherhood again and was helping people while also protecting them. All that shattered when Trump was elected and empowered the far-right radicals by not speaking against them. Suddenly, I was standing the line at protests and riots, being told to protect the cowards waving Nazi flags, hiding behind the police. It kept getting worse and worse as the far right felt more empowered, culminating on January 6. And then he got elected again and pardoned those traitors! I can ignore all the other illegal stuff this administration is getting away with and calling it politics, but any party that continues to back a traitor who doesn't even try to hide it, is not a party I want to be affiliated with. This is not the America I fought and continue to fight for." "I was a single-issue voter in my first election, coming from a religious background. After having learned more about the world — namely capitalism, healthcare, and LGBTQ+ issues — I became a voter of the left and have never looked back." "I have a very religious friend. His wife was also very religious. When they got pregnant, they were informed it was a high-risk pregnancy and presented with their options. They discussed it and decided to proceed with the pregnancy. Sadly, his wife died in childbirth. The baby did make it, however. Years later, we were talking, and the subject of abortion came up. He shocked me by saying he was now pro-choice. I inquired what brought that on, and he explained that while he is still very much against abortion, he realized that was his opinion. He said the thing that allowed him to ultimately accept and be at peace about his wife's death is the fact that they were able to discuss it and make the choice that was right for them. He said that he simply cannot condone depriving others of the ability to have those discussions and make those choices, even if that meant their choices may be different from his own." "I went from Republican to Independent because I was for fiscal responsibility and liberal on social issues. I do not even recognize the Republican Party I once belonged to." "I moved from a Democrat to an Independent because the Democratic Party has villainized straight white males, and I am a straight white male." "Well, I have always been an Independent — or rather had been — until Bernie, so I registered Democratic to vote for him in the primary. The DNC completely obliterated that in the following months and years. I am now an Independent again and no longer believe either of these parties are the way forward." "I was raised liberal and was super liberal until COVID. That changed everything, including seeing how my fellow liberals act when you have a differing opinion. Now, I am a Libertarian and more right-leaning. I will never go back. That being said, both sides are full of it, definitely do not have the public's best interest in mind, and are corrupt." "Winston Churchill was attributed with saying: 'If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain.' That was pretty much me, and that is why I changed my political affiliation to conservative." "Grew up a Republican in Oklahoma. Joined the Navy. Met LOTS of folks from all over the world. Fought alongside most of them. Fought against a few others. The common trait those I fought against had was a hypocritical eye toward authority — it was bad unless they were in charge. This was a mindset I grew up around with my rural parents, but not my World War II veteran (overseas deployed) grandparents. I never understood it. Unfortunately, it took root in American society, pushed by people like Newt Gingrich, the NRA, the 'Moral Majority,' and Faux News. Karl Rove drove me to switch parties while running the Bush campaign. During the 2000 South Carolina primary, he talked about how McCain (Vietnam War POW and scion of a multi-generational Navy family) fathered a 'Black child' in an extramarital fling — it was an outright appeal to racists for their votes! Never mind the fact that said daughter was a child from Bangladesh the McCains had adopted. I was done." Taken together, these accounts reveal that political identity is far more fragile — and more responsive to lived experience — than our polarized discourse suggests. The moments that break political loyalty aren't always abstract ideological shifts but visceral encounters with institutional failure that force a reckoning between stated principles and actual practice. And more and more Americans are actively renegotiating their political identities as traditional party boundaries prove inadequate to the challenges they actually face. So, have you ever found yourself questioning your political affiliation? What moment or experience made you reconsider where you stand? Share your story in the comments below!
Chicago Tribune
18 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Pope Leo XIV renews his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy — Pope Leo XIV renewed his call on Sunday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians. 'I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,' the pontiff said at the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer from his summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo. Pope Leo also expressed his 'deep sorrow' for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest. Will Pope Leo forge greater LGBTQ+ inclusion? Chicago-area Catholics pray for 'reconciliation rather than division.''I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations,' the pope added. The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month. Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating. 'We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,' the pope said earlier Sunday, after presiding over Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano. 'The world no longer tolerates war,' Leo told reporters waiting for him outside the cathedral.
Chicago Tribune
20 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Will Pope Leo forge greater LGBTQ+ inclusion? Chicago-area Catholics pray for ‘reconciliation rather than division.'
With a mix of curiosity and a little apprehension, the man stepped inside Our Lady of Mount Carmel in East Lakeview to celebrate Mass on a recent Sunday. It was the first time David Charles of Des Plaines had entered a church in roughly 20 years. During college he felt called to ministry, until his on-campus Methodist pastor in another state discovered he'd been secretly dating a man. 'In no unclear terms he said, 'You either stop this now or this is where our road ends,' Charles recalled. 'So I said, 'This is where our road ends.' And that was that. It was devastating … like a path was taken from me.' Ever since, Charles felt like a nomad without a spiritual home, yearning for the religious community and collective worship he had left behind. Yet at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he found an acceptance and inclusion he couldn't have envisioned two decades prior. The July 13 Mass was organized by the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago's LGBTQ+ outreach ministry, AGLO Chicago, with special prayers dedicated to family members, friends and allies of the queer community. 'AGLO Chicago invites parents, family and friends of the LGBTQ+ community to join them to understand what it means to be LGBTQ+ and Catholic, and for those who are struggling to reconcile and unify these sometimes-competing identities,' an invitation to the service stated. 'Parents and family members may quietly grapple with questions of faith, identity and belonging when a loved one comes out as LGBTQ+.' The mood at the church was an odd blend of optimism and worry, emanating from the state of Catholicism as well as national politics: Many worshippers conveyed hope that newly elected Pope Leo XIV — a Chicago native who preaches bridge-building and social justice — will forge greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in the worldwide church. At the same time, some described a growing fear for the queer community as the Trump administration attempts to rescind various LGBTQ+ rights and protections, often using Christian or biblical rhetoric to support these policies. The recent liturgical service at Our Lady of Mount Carmel focused on family and friends of LGBTQ+ Catholics because so many parents and relatives have relayed trepidation at the increasing hostility of the national climate, said Rick Guasco, co-director of AGLO Chicago. 'They want them to feel safe and feel accepted by the church,' he said. 'They want them to still feel connected to the faith they grew up in. What better way to send that message than to have a Mass that recognizes our families?' As worshippers bowed their heads, the Rev. Andy Matijevic offered a special prayer for the LGBTQ+ community and their loved ones. 'Shower your blessings on these families gathered here in your name,' he said. 'Enable those who are joined by one love to support one another by their fervor of spirit and devotion to prayer.' The words made Charles tear up. In the wood pew, he sat next to his fiance Philip Odango, who was raised Catholic. 'We have been, I feel like, building up to this moment,' Odango said. 'Because we have very deep conversations about faith and spirituality.' Even as the United Methodist Church made great strides toward LGBTQ+ inclusivity and reconciliation — lifting the denomination's longtime bans on gay marriage and clergy in 2024 — Charles said his wounds have remained. 'Not only was I ousted but I was trying in my own way, however I could, just to provide counsel to other queer people who were being told similar things,' he recalled. Three days before Mass, the couple searched the terms 'gay' and 'Catholic Church' online, which led them to AGLO Chicago and the service at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. AGLO Chicago, which was founded in 1988, celebrates Mass weekly at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The simple act of walking side-by-side down the aisle of the English Gothic-style church and facing a Carrara marble altar proved empowering for the couple. Stained glass images of archangels, known as protectors of humanity and messengers from God, loomed overhead in the apse. A pipe organ accompanied the liturgical service's hymns. Odango was encouraged earlier this month when a Vatican official indicated Pope Leo will continue to allow blessings for same-sex couples, which were first approved through a landmark and controversial declaration of his predecessor Pope Francis in 2023. 'One of the things I think everyone loved about Pope Francis was leading with humility,' Odango said. 'We're hoping Pope Leo will continue that journey of leading with humility. … I'm hopeful Pope Leo will continue to be inclusive.' Same-sex blessings were an important first step, Odango said. 'I don't foresee it quite yet where we're getting a marriage certificate through the church,' he said. But one can dream, Charles added. 'Hear our prayer' Through a series of petitions, worshippers at Our Lady of Mount Carmel prayed that the church serves as an instrument of healing rather than hurt; of reconciliation rather than division. That fear, judgment, apathy and walls to this healing will be replaced with attentiveness and care. And that all who are in need of God's healing touch — especially those in the LGBTQ+ community — will find welcome in the living body of Christ and the church. 'Lord, hear our prayer,' they responded in unison after each supplication. In the group's May newsletter, AGLO Chicago co-director Angelina Rossi welcomed Pope Leo XIV's May 8 election, noting that his first message to the world from the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica began with the words 'peace be with you all.' 'He asked that we be a church with open arms for everyone and that he believes in dialogue, love, and charity, especially to those who are suffering,' she wrote in the article. 'We hope he is including the LGBTQ+ Catholic community in there as well.' So far, his stance on LGBTQ+ inclusion has been complicated. In 2012, as the Augustinian prior general in Chicago, he made critical statements of what he referred to as the 'homosexual lifestyle' as well as the media's promotion of acceptance of same-sex marriage, which is in conflict with Catholic doctrine. A little over a week into his papacy, he upheld that family is 'founded upon the stable union between a man and a woman' during his first meeting with the Vatican diplomatic corps. Yet many LGBTQ+ advocates were heartened earlier this month when the head of the Vatican's doctrine office told Italian media that the blessing of same-sex couples 'will remain' under Pope Leo. Under Pope Francis, the groundbreaking document entitled 'Fiducia Supplicans' permitted blessings of people in same-sex relationships, so long as they're not confused or conflated with the ritual of marriage, while still maintaining the church's strict ban on gay marriage. The declaration, a hallmark of Pope Francis' decade-long outreach to LGBTQ+ Catholics, also faced great opposition around the globe. Many Catholic leaders rejected the pope's stance, with bishops in Africa, Poland and other parts of the world refusing to implement the policy or barring their clergy from offering these blessings. Locally, a same-sex blessing last year at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Lincoln Park drew much rebuke online. The religious order of the priest who performed the blessing later issued an apology for the way it took place, stating that same-sex blessings 'do not equate to a wedding and should not employ the clothing and gestures that accompany a wedding.' 'I am deeply sorry for any confusion and/or anger that this has caused, particularly for the People of God,' the priest said in the statement. The couple — two wives who were married in the Methodist church — said the apology didn't diminish the sacred nature of the blessing for them. 'We want the Catholic Church to continue this ministry to the queer community because it is so important and so meaningful to people of faith,' one of the wives, a Methodist pastor, told the Tribune last year. LGBTQ+ issues are still very controversial in the Catholic Church 'and there's a lot of room for the church to grow,' said Jason Steidl Jack, assistant teaching professor of religious studies at St. Joseph's University in New York. 'The church moves in centuries not in years,' said Steidl Jack, a gay Catholic theologian. 'Most LGBTQ+ folks have not had experiences in Roman Catholicism where they are welcome. Where they are included. Where they're represented in parish life. For a long time, we've been sort of shoved down into the basement.' While Pope Leo has been more reserved and measured than Pope Francis, Steidl Jack predicts the new pope will continue in the trajectory of his predecessor. The professor believes the papal conclave selected Pope Leo to continue Pope Francis's 'agenda of synodality,' a commitment to consultation and deep dialogue with global Catholics, particularly those who have been marginalized in the past. 'The church is making strides at the grassroots level but also at the Vatican level, first under Pope Francis and now, God willing, under Pope Leo,' he added. 'Pope Francis started us out on a journey. And I believe Pope Leo is going to continue that.' Questions and answers The gospel reading during Mass told the parable of the good Samaritan who helped a Jewish stranger beaten by robbers and left for dead, even though Jews and Samaritans were enemies at the time. The story goes that religious leaders passed by without offering aid. 'Who was the neighbor?' the church program said. 'The one who treated him with mercy.' The passage spoke to Guasco. 'Some people think that LGBTQ+ people can only be helped if they do this or that first. There's a requirement first in order to get that help and acceptance,' he said, shaking his head. 'If you don't meet someone where they are, if you don't help someone in the way they need to be helped, then what are you doing? Is it truly acceptance? Is it truly help?' After the service, some of the worshippers lingered for coffee and sweets — and a question-answer session with Matijevic, the priest, on LGBTQ+ issues and the Catholic Church. 'Every person is made with God's imprint,' Matijevic told the room. 'No matter who is made, God had made them. And we have to respect them, love them and care for them. Because all of us are on the same journey of life together. Because we are not meant to be alone.' The crowd posed some difficult questions on theology, church politics and the future of LGBTQ+ inclusion. Will the trend of the Holy Father's openness to the LGBTQ+ community continue? 'I would say yes. I hope Pope Leo will continue to be one of inclusion. I can't speak for the pope, but he is from Chicago, so …' Mtijevic said, shrugging and eliciting laughter from the room. How can we get Pope Leo to talk to advisers who are positive about LGBTQ+ matters? Another participant jokingly suggested contacting the pope's brother, who lives in the south suburbs, in the hopes that he'll pass along the message to his sibling. A church secretary from another Catholic parish requested advice on starting an LGBTQ+ ministry there. She noted that other local Christian churches offer LGBTQ+ outreach programs 'and do it really well.' 'I want the Catholic church in the area to also say the same thing and have the same loving presence,' she added. Recent polls show American Catholics tend to be largely accepting of LGBTQ+ people, rights and inclusion. A Pew Research Center 2023 to 2024 survey found that nearly three-quarters of Catholic adults believed homosexuality should be accepted by society and 70% supported same-sex marriage. More than three-quarters of Catholics said their fellow Catholics who identify as LGBTQ+ should be allowed to receive Communion and 65% said the church should allow openly gay men to be ordained, according to a 2022 Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. Toward the end of the discussion at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Charles asked a question that has plagued him for more than 20 years. 'How is it that heterosexual marriage, which can be sanctioned by the church, is a blessing of God?' he said. 'Yet my love — which in my eyes is of no ill will or no ill intention, no malice — is not?' 'God never left you,' another man responded from across the room. 'The church may have left you. And the church is playing catch-up.' But God never left you, he repeated.
