Texas and San Antonio leaders honor Pope Francis
The big picture: Francis was treated for double pneumonia before being released from the hospital in March.
The latest: The Archdiocese of San Antonio hosted a memorial mass Monday at San Fernando Cathedral.
What they're saying: "We were inspired by the Holy Father's advocacy for migrants globally and of his commitment to provide services and minister to all of God's children," Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller said in a statement.
"He emphasized that in welcoming the stranger we are welcoming Christ. He worked for the conversion of hearts and minds, to create a culture and practice of hospitality in receiving migrants."
State leaders including Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro celebrated the pope and mourned his passing.
Between the lines: Joshua Thurow, professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at San Antonio, tells Axios that Francis' papacy is "deeply meaningful" for Hispanic Catholics.
"He has consistently elevated care for the poor, marginalized and oppressed," Thurow says. "As pope he spoke forcefully about immigration — urging that immigrants are created in the image of God and deserve respect and should be greeted with a 'spirit of welcome.'"
Thurow notes Francis' canonization of Oscar Romero and the pope's devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, whom he honored early and often in his papacy.
Zoom in: About 29% of San Antonio area residents identify as Catholic, per a survey conducted in 2023-24 by the Pew Research Center.
The next pope will be the church's 267th.
How it works: The selection will follow a series of Vatican meetings and a papal election, called a conclave.
In about 15 to 20 days, Cardinal electors will gather in St. Peter's Basilica for mass.
Then, they will go to the Sistine Chapel to begin rounds of super secret voting on the next pope.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
an hour ago
- Axios
Exclusive: Emmer says Epstein is a "non-issue"
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) called the push to force release of the Epstein files a "non-issue" at an Axios News Shapers event Wednesday. Why it matters: The issue has paralyzed the House and led GOP leaders to cut this week's business short and leave town early for the August recess before things escalated further. "It's kind of funny if it was so important, then why weren't Democrats clamoring for this for the 4 years under Biden?" told Axios' Hans Nichols. Democrats — and some Republicans — have every been using multiple tools to try and force their GOP colleagues on the record about Epstein as President Trump pressures GOP leaders to make the issue go away.
Axios
4 hours ago
- Axios
Exclusive: Jake Sullivan encourages Trump team to buy munitions in bulk
Years of industrial complacency, including not putting "enough energy or emphasis on munitions," has painted the U.S. into a corner, former national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Axios. Solving the problem, he said, requires a "generational project" spanning business interests and political affiliations. Why it matters: Today's defense news cycle is dominated by questions of American manufacturing might. The conversation is set against a backdrop of competition with Russia and China (and their growing symbiosis). The sudden shipbuilding obsession, including President Trump's own preoccupation, is a symptom of this. Driving the news: Sullivan spoke to Axios on the sidelines of the Reindustrialize conference in downtown Detroit, a city experiencing its own metropolitan rebirth. There's a pressing need, he said, "for the national security community — not just the economic policy community — in the United States to be focused on reconstituting our industrial base in critical sectors that are going to define the future." The status quo "was decades in the making," he added. "When I came in, I found just how weakened a state our defense-industrial base was in." State of play: Reams of studies, white papers, op-eds and surveys detail the fragility of the defense-industrial base (DIB). Govini's National Security Scorecard, published this summer, warned that China's "relentless three-decade military modernization — with an estimated $236 billion expenditure in 2024 — and Russia's industrial surge capacity — quintupling artillery shell production since 2022 — starkly contrast with the U.S. DIB." The Ronald Reagan Institute's National Security Innovation Base Report Card, shared in March, cautioned that the U.S. "struggles to manufacture and field new national security tech" at speeds and scales that matter. And the Commission on the National Defense Strategy concluded last July that the Pentagon's "business practices, byzantine research and development and procurement systems, reliance on decades-old military hardware, and culture of risk avoidance" reflect a bygone era. Yes, but: There's hope the ship can be righted. It will take time — meaning multiple administrations and, potentially, conflicts. Sullivan in conversation with Axios encouraged the Trump administration to pursue multiyear contracting for munitions. Such deals give defense contractors "the certainty to make the capital expenditures to build the factories, to supply the munitions, rather than make this a year-by-year thing." Multiyear munitions buys were also favored by the House China Committee. What they're saying: "The more you challenge the industrial base, you build the muscle, and it's like a flywheel," Darin DiTommaso, a GE Aerospace vice president, told Axios at the conference. "You actually enhance the capability of the supply base by putting more challenge on them, as opposed to starting and stopping programs, because that's when you lose people, and you lose skill sets," he said. "It's really hard to restart a production line once you've stopped it." By the numbers: The U.S. Air Force in 2024 inked a $3.2 billion multiyear contract with Lockheed Martin for Long Range Anti-Ship and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff missiles. That same year, the Navy secured a bulk deal with HII for four amphibious warships, expected to save the service $1 billion. The bottom line: "A country without robust manufacturing is hardly a country at all," Jamieson Greer, the U.S. trade representative, said in a Reindustrialize speech.
Axios
4 hours ago
- Axios
Likely Rays sale stirs stadium shuffle in Tampa Bay
The Tampa Bay Rays have not yet been sold, nor have they announced relocation — but the potential alone has kicked off a stadium shuffle, and local officials are bracing for a fight. Why it matters: If the team moves across the Bay, as speculated, Hillsborough County will face competing stadium demands, fragile political alliances, and a significant financial burden at a time when it is cutting back on spending. Catch up quick: The Athletic reported this month that Stuart Sternberg has agreed to sell the Rays to Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion. Zalupski appears interested in moving the team to Tampa or elsewhere in Hillsborough, per The Athletic and the Tampa Bay Times. The latest: Local officials are eyeing Ybor Harbor, a forthcoming mixed-use development by Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw, as the ideal site for a new ballpark. A spokesperson for Shaw declined to comment. Republican Commissioner Ken Hagan — a Tampa Sports Authority board member — is spearheading discussions with members of Zalupski's group and Shaw, the Times reported. (Hagan did not return Axios' request for comment.) Fellow Republican Commissioner Christine Miller voiced confidence in Hagan but emphasized to Axios that any stadium deal must be "fiscally responsible" and involve an "open process." Democratic Commissioner Harry Cohen welcomed the idea, calling it a "positive development" and saying he looks forward to hearing from the new owners. Friction point: Republican Commissioner Joshua Wostal, who once invited the state DOGE to audit Hillsborough County's spending, is "100% opposed." "I imagine the public will be standing with me, outraged if we subsidize the wealthy ahead of their immediate needs," Wostal told Axios. Between the lines: Republicans on the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners have only recently begun operating as a cohesive bloc, a shift that commissioners attributed to DOGE in statements to Axios. Their shared goal of reining in spending has allowed them to pass once-fringe measures that had failed for years, including eliminating the county's affordable housing trust fund. But the potential sale of the Rays, along with Zalupski's reported interest in relocating the team to Hillsborough, threatens to divide that coalition. Zoom out: Even without the Rays, Hillsborough has its hands full. Raymond James Stadium needs repairs. The Tampa Bay Sun, fresh off a championship season, is looking for a permanent home, with Ybor Harbor also that team's top choice. An indoor sports arena on land surrounding the Museum of Science and Industry is already in the works, partially funded by $2 million in BP Oil Spill settlement money. The University of South Florida is also building an on-campus football stadium, which will increase demand on county and city services, though public funds will not be directly used for construction. Another piece of the puzzle is the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the Rays-owned soccer team that plays at St. Pete's Al Lang Stadium. City leaders want to upgrade the stadium to make it more usable year-round. Citing "a source close to the deal," the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that the soccer team will be sold with the baseball team. Tampa City Council Member Alan Clendenin told Axios that should that happen, he anticipates the Rowdies will also move across the Bay. A spokesperson for the Rowdies declined to comment. What they're saying: "Any politician that says they're not willing to do anything for the Rays doesn't deserve to be in office," said Clendenin, who is also a Tampa Sports Authority board member.
