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CBS News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Chicago family goes viral giving Pope Leo XIV "Da Pope" T-shirt at mass in Italy
A Chicago family on vacation in Italy had the encounter of a lifetime with Pope Leo XIV after mass on Sunday. Marcel and Ann Muñoz were decked out with their three kids in shirts reading, "Da Pope" — like, "Da Bears" from the old "Superfans" sketches on "Saturday Night Live." The shirts were what other color but Chicago Bears navy blue, with white text and orange lines. After mass Sunday at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Pancras in Albano outside Rome, the family was able to meet Pope Francis and give him an extra shirt as a gift. The viral moment even made it onto a post from Pope Leo XIV's official Instagram. The Muñoz family said they are Bears season ticketholders, and hope this was the blessing Chicago needs to kickstart a Super Bowl dynasty. "He turned left, and he just kind of beelined towards us, so whatever it is, it's like everyone else is, you know, very nicely dressed for a summer mass except us — so we did kind of stick out," said Marcel Muñoz, "but you know, it's one of those things where it's like: 'Hey, you're going to be here once. Hopefully, you can catch his attention.'" "How many people get this opportunity to be in front of the pope, to have his attention, to hold his hand? I kissed his ring, and you know, it's such — you feel blessed," said Ann Muñoz. The Muñoz family had to drive 45 minutes outside Rome to Albano where Pope Leo XIV was saying mass. They positioned themselves at a spot after services where they thought their big, bold shirt would get his attention — when it happened.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
One of America's largest Catholic dioceses said parishioners can skip mass over deportation raid fears
Members of the nation's sixth-largest Catholic community are excused from attending mass over 'genuine fear' of immigration enforcement actions that have rocked communities across Los Angeles and surrounding neighborhoods. Church leadership with the Diocese of San Bernardino, which spans San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California with 92 parishes and more than 1.7 million Catholics, issued a rare decree Tuesday following immigration arrests on church properties. San Bernardino Bishop Alberto Rojas issued the decision 'in light of the pastoral needs of our diocese and the concerns expressed by many of our brothers and sisters regarding fears of attending Mass due to potential immigration enforcement actions by civil authorities,' according to his letter. Fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids 'may deter some members of our diocese from fulfilling obligation to attend Sunday Mass and holy days of obligation,' Rojas wrote. Such fear 'constitutes a grave inconvenience that may impede the spiritual good of the faithful,' he added. The decree also encourages pastors and other faith leaders to 'provide compassionate support to those affected by this fear, ensuring they feel welcome and safe in our communities,' and to seek out 'alternative means' for parishioners to receive sacraments, including baptisms and communion. Last month, Rojas chastised Donald Trump's administration after federal agents descended on church property at two parishes within the diocese "It should be no surprise that this is creating a tremendous amount of fear, confusion and anxiety for many,' Rojas wrote in a letter to the community on June 23. 'It is not of the Gospel of Jesus Christ — which guides us in all that we do.' Days earlier, federal agents chased several men into a church parking lot in St. Adelaide Parish in Highland and arrested a parishioner of Our Lady of Lourdes in Montclair, according to church leaders. 'Authorities are now seizing brothers and sisters indiscriminately, without respect for their right to due process and their dignity as children of God,' Rojas wrote at the time. The arrests follow the Trump administration's decision to rescind previous ICE policy that prohibited enforcement actions in sensitive locations such as places of worship as well as schools and hospitals as the White House pursues an aggressive anti-immigration agenda with a goal of making at least 3,000 arrests a day. In February, more than two dozen religious groups representing thousands of congregations sued the Trump administration to restore the policy, fearing a 'chilling' effect that violates their right to freely practice their religion while preventing others from being able to access church services such as food pantries and English-language classes. A federal judge ultimately partially granted a restraining order that blocked ICE from enforcement actions in roughly 1,700 places of worship in 35 states and Washington, D.C. But in April, a Trump-appointed judge sided with the administration in a similar case brought by more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans. District Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington, D.C., determined that ICE had performed only a handful of enforcement actions on church grounds, stating that 'places of worship are being singled out as special targets." The judge argued that any drops in church attendance could not be definitively linked to ICE actions. 'That evidence suggests that congregants are staying home to avoid encountering ICE in their own neighborhoods, not because churches or synagogues are locations of elevated risk,' Friedrich wrote. The letter from San Bernadino's bishop comes as Catholic leadership across the country — and at the Vatican — grapple with the administration's immigration Pope Leo XIV, whose papacy began less than four months in Trump's presidency, had previously criticized the administration's immigration policies and rhetoric. Weeks before his death, Leo's predecessor Pope Francis wrote a letter to Catholic bishops in the United States describing mass deportations as a 'major crisis' that damage 'the dignity of many men and women.' San Diego Bishop Michael Pham, the first U.S. bishop appointed by Leo and first person of Vietnamese descent to be made a diocesan bishop in the country, has attended immigration court hearings in solidarity with immigrants facing removal from the country. Washington, D.C. Cardinal Robert McElroy — a close ally of Leo who was elevated to church leadership by Francis — has also criticized the administration's agenda of 'mass, indiscriminate deportation of men and women and children and families which literally rips families apart and is intended to do so.' And in Los Angeles, the largest archdiocese in the country, Archbishop Jose Gomez accused the administration of having 'no immigration policy beyond the stated goal of deporting thousands of people each day.' 'This is not policy, it is punishment, and it can only result in cruel and arbitrary outcomes,' wrote the bishop, who is also a naturalized U.S. citizen from Mexico. 'Already we are hearing stories of innocent fathers and mothers being wrongly deported, with no recourse to appeal.'
The National
29-06-2025
- General
- The National
Best photos of June 29: From beach clean-up event in Mexico to traditional Rapa das Bestas festival in Spain
Members of the clergy attend a mass on the day of Saints Peter and Paul feast at St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican. AFP
The Independent
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Pope Leo's Chicago address to clash with Trump parade
Pope Leo XIV will screen a video message and hold mass in Chicago, coinciding with Donald Trump 's military parade in Washington, D.C. The Chicago event, aimed at young people, includes a prayer service at 2:30 p.m. and mass at 4:00 p.m. local time, and will be live-streamed. Tickets for the Chicago event at Rate Field, the Chicago White Sox stadium, cost $5 each, and access to the 40,000-seat stadium is nearly sold out. Trump's military parade will feature 6,600 army troops, military equipment, and vehicles, including tanks and armored vehicles. Pope Leo XIV has previously criticized nationalist movements and anti-immigrant rhetoric, and voiced opposition to the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Several join national eucharistic pilgrimage in Abilene
ABILENE, Texas () – A cross-country Catholic movement made its way to Abilene. The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, a large turnout of the faithful, stopped to hold mass. This procession began on May 18 in Indianapolis, Indiana. It made 11 stops before arriving in Abilene from Fort Worth. According to organizers, this event continued from last year as a national outpouring of joy and community for the nation's religious. Deacon Eduardo Castillo of the Diocese of San Angelo told KTAB/KRBC that he is overjoyed to see such participation in what officials have described as a 'grassroots' movement. 'I'm very happy with it. It's the first one in Abilene. They're doing it tomorrow in San Angelo. So as far as the turnout, there's a lot of people from what I see. So hopefully in the future, you have some more,' Castillo said. This event has drawn protests at a few previous stops along the trail. Today's Organizers told KTAB/KRBC that they had made preparations, such as having the Abilene Police Department (APD) on hand. But no such protest took place in Abilene. The pilgrimage will make its way to San Angelo next with six more stops planned in Texas, New Mexico, and California, before arriving at the Diocese of Los Angeles on June 20. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
