New York Times examines the new pope’s Black grandparents

I think he's the same mix as actress Hailee Steinfeld, whose character in the recent film Sinners has a similar background. Pretty neat. I think his brother also recently clarified the Holy Father's White Sox allegiance (after God, I think).

Not black.

R2, it’s “Black” - not “black”

Oh no, he’s mixed race and we can’t control is identity!

His*

No, he's a Cubs fan.

I've heard he's not Black.

[quote] The widespread practice of capitalizing "Black" as a racial descriptor became more common in 2020, particularly after the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Style guides like The Diversity Style Guide and the Columbia Journalism Review began recommending capitalization early in 2020, and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook announced its adoption on Juneteenth of 2020.

It never ceases to amaze me how as soon as some "authority" like The Diversity Style Guide (a book by some obscure author) or the Columbia Journalism Review tells people they should do something, people like R3 who just fall in line. Okay, fine. But then they start correcting other people and telling them to "be better." How annoying.

It never ceases to amaze me how blind people can be to Irony.

If would be fair to refer to the pope as black, even though the family doesn’t identify as black, so it’s okay for people to say he’s the first black pope or just first pope of color.

Pope Leo's racial mix is just icing on the marble babka, for me! Hell, I might even convert to Catholicism now.😂

Oh, to be Mike Pence's fly on the wall at Mar-a-lardo today! Has donald dubbed him "Pope DEI" yet?

Happy weekend, donald.

This is welcoming news.

So he’s a quadroon?

Quadroon?

How old are you in human years r13?

The black/White thing is ridiculous.

Is the new Pope more black than Julie LaVerne (Dozier) in "Showboat"?

[quote] John Prevost, the pope’s brother, said that their paternal grandparents were from France, and that his father had been born in the United States. He said he and his brothers didn’t discuss their Creole roots.

[quote] “It was never an issue,” John Prevost said.

Well there's the answer, the family was "passe blanc."

NOW you tell us??

R13, that is what the New York Times is dying to say, but can’t quite bring itself to do so. I’m surprised they didn’t throw in “one drop of blood”.

Who gives a fuck? I'm just glad I can understand him when he speaks.

The new pope is part Creole.

In Louisiana, the term Creole has been used since 1792 to represent descendants of African or mixed heritage parents as well as children of French and Spanish descent with no racial mixing.[8][9][10] Its use as in the name for languages started from 1879, while as an adjective for languages, its use began around 1748.

In Spanish-speaking countries, the word Criollo refers to the descendants of Europeans born in the Americas, but also in some countries, to describe something local or very typical of a particular Latin American region.

[QUOTE] The new pope is part Creole.

That's WAY too black for the queens on DL.

In the Caribbean, the term broadly refers to all the people, whatever their class or ancestry — African, East Asian, European, Indian — who are part of the culture of the Caribbean.[13] In Trinidad, the term Creole is used to designate all Trinidadians except those of Asian origin. In Suriname, the term refers only to the descendants of enslaved Africans and in neighboring French Guiana the term refers to anyone, regardless of skin colour, who has adopted a European lifestyle.

Trilingual signs on Cafe Kreol in Cape Verde. In Africa, the term Creole refers to any ethnic group formed during the European colonial era, with some mix of African and non-African racial or cultural heritage.[14] Creole communities are found on most African islands and along the continent's coastal regions where indigenous Africans first interacted with Europeans. As a result of these contacts, five major Creole types emerged in Africa: Portuguese, African American, Dutch, French and British.

The Crioulos of African or mixed Portuguese and African descent eventually gave rise to several ethnic groups in Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe, Angola and Mozambique.

Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His mother, Mildred (née Martínez) Prevost, is a native of the 7th Ward of New Orleans.

Prevost's mother, Mildred, was a Black Creole whose parents were a Hispaniola-born mixed-race father, Joseph Martínez, and the New Orleans-born Louise Baquiet (also rendered Baquiex), who was also mixed-race.

Pope Leo XIV:

Prevost consulted his brothers about his potential papal name the evening before the conclave. In addition to his native English, he is also fluent in Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and can read Latin and German.

Prevost is an amateur tennis player. He is a fan of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball, attending a White Sox home game during the 2005 World Series, and the Villanova Wildcats men's college basketball team. While living in Peru, he became a supporter of Alianza Lima, one of Peru's most prominent soccer teams.

Good, r27. Maybe with the pope on their side, the White Sox won't be such an embarrassment.

Someone should really let the cardinals know they chose a black.

Pardon me, but is your pontiff a mulatto?

End Times!!!

There were conversations about how black our baby would be.

[quote] it’s “Black” - not “black”

I googled and R3 is correct.

I knew as soon as I first laid eyes on Pope Leo on the balcony yesterday. Black people always recognize our own through subtle, barely discernible giveaways. But it was his, not our, story to tell, and so we whispered among family and friends until NYT broke the story today.

Most telling is Pope Leo's warm cream-colored complexion. Just look at the man: "Black don't crack!"

^Lawrence O'Donnell leaked the secret on MSNBC Thursday night, actually, as noted on the MSNBC 67 thread.

I wonder if he’s packing down there.

Not that it matters to anyone

The MAGA cult will not like the new pope having Black ancestry! They won't like it one bit and I predict they will concoct some kind of really nasty conspiracy theory about him because he's anti-MAGA. They're probably already working on it. Insane cunts.

Ne t'inquiète pas, chérie, on va s'en sortir, R37.

Pope Chocleo!

His brother says he's a White Sox fan, plus there's pictures of him at the games (in civilian dress).

In a DRESS you say R40! A DRAG QUEEN GROOMNG CHILDREN!

I wonder about Pete Davidson, too.

If it's Black then it should also be White and Brown.

Are Africans also included in this Black or do they find it annoying?

People can also write it how they like. It was black until a few years ago, when it was dictated from above that it should be Black.

By the way, it should be Pope, not pope, in the title.

He’s not Black black.

OMG white people. Calm the the fuck down. He's white.

[quote]By the way, it should be Pope, not pope, in the title.

Per AP style, titles should only be uppercased if they precede a name. King, president, etc.

The Pope's been DEI-fied.

Since when was AP style guide the infallible law for all written use of the English language?

[quote]Since when was AP style guide the infallible law for all written use of the English language?

I didn't say that, but It is the most widely used style in American news stories, so it's what most people are exposed to.

His mixed heritage is a lot more evident when you see pictures of his younger self.

I think he was a very good looking guy.

Still is, but even better when he was in his 20s.

The three Prevost brothers when they were children.

College photo.

To me, his Latino roots stand out the most.

The "Martinez" side of the family.

High school graduation.

You can undoubtedly see the Creole in his eldest brother on the left.

All three are handsome men.

Louise Baquie and Joseph Noral Martinez are shown in these undated portraits.

I received this headline from my Boston Globe subscription this morning:

[quote]‘It’s beautiful to see’: Black Bostonians react to the pope’s Creole ancestry. Multiple outlets reported this week that the maternal grandparents of Robert Prevost were described as people of color in historical documents.

You know what? Given the attack on DEI from the current administration, I can't find any space in my heart to feel upset about this type of reporting. Who cares? People of color have been shitted on in the country since time immemorial. Yes, an American pope with Creole ancestry is not going to heal all wounds, but if it makes some people happy to embrace it, then let them have that joy.

[quote]The widespread practice of capitalizing "Black" as a racial descriptor became more common in 2020, particularly after the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Style guides like The Diversity Style Guide and the Columbia Journalism Review began recommending capitalization early in 2020, and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook announced its adoption on Juneteenth of 2020.

To many people, capitalizing Black but not white comes off as black supremacy, which is probably the intention, but funny how that's not frowned upon by the Left.

that is a white guy with black ancestry. many blacks have white ancestry. knock it off.

Knock what off?

Your bullshit.

Dear R3, die in a grease fire. Stat.

And it’s “black”, not “Black”.

Leave it to The New York Times to go immediately to race, didn't even waste 48 hours before they figured out a way to east coast Americanize reporting on the New Pope.

Any second now CNN will be advertising an entire series detailing the “black roots” of the first ‘African American Pope’. I’d almost bet money we’ll see something like this very soon.

I love the fact that the new Pope has so many touchstones to American culture/diversity and that the conclave gave a real middle finger to Trump and MAGA. This is both glorious and inspiring. Yay Leo.

Not thrilled about the White Sox aspect, though.

For you, R64.

[quote]Leave it to The New York Times to go immediately to race, didn't even waste 48 hours before they figured out a way to east coast Americanize reporting on the New Pope.

The Times-Picayune was on it the day he got elected, baby.

The local paper reporting on local roots isn't quite the same, r66.

Pope Leo XIV's family tree shows Black roots in New Orleans - ABC News

Pope Leo XIV has Haitian, Louisiana Creole roots - CBS News

God ,Americans are so tiresome. Of course it's all about "why would they make themselves down as White" now...

“My Pope is BLACK!”

R70: “ why would they make themselves down as White”

huh?

Americans have this unbelievably strange obsession with race, and I find it completely exhausting.

Why does race have to factor into EVERY, SINGLE FUCKING THING in this country?

Just live and let live, for fuck's sake!!

First Black American Pope! to be recalled.

The interview with the genealogist at R68 is fascinating.

Apparently, he was given a tip into researching the Pope's heritage by U.S. Military General Russel L. Honoré, aka "The Ragin' Cajun," who is himself of Creole ancestry.

It's called the Nawlins Woodpile.

[quote] Black people always recognize our own through subtle, barely discernible giveaways.

R34, those "barely discernible giveaways" were how we figured out Benedict XVI was one of our own:

Red, Gucci loafers

An affinity for stoles to match

Prada sunglasses

Slapping the hand of a journalist who asked an impertinent question

Keeping a tall, blond, good-looking, younger man as a secretary....

Yup, Gay (with a capital G)!

General Honore looks so old at R75! But Katrina was 20 years ago, how time flies.

They’ll love him in the projects.

Multi racial, multi cultural, I hope he eats Evangelical Heretics for lunch.

One drop rule still in effect apparently.

r81, for Plantation Evangelicals, it is.

Definitely a virgin, though..

Apparently, the paper bag test, too, R81.

This explains why MAGA’s so pissed off at his selection. Usually they’d be reasonably happy (if they cared at all since they are mostly evangelical Protestants) at it being a relatively conservative American. I was wondering why they were so hung up on it.

Life imitating art: the 2025 Conclave revealed an Act III plot twist much like that device used in the film "Conclave."

Marble babka??

Whole wheat babka...

[quote] Why does race have to factor into EVERY, SINGLE FUCKING THING in this country?

Oh honey, that ship has quite literally sailed.

[quote] [R81], for Plantation Evangelicals, it is.

I don't know why. Many "white" Americans -- including white southern Evangelicals -- have more African ancestry than Pope Leo.

He’s not black. White folks are just obsessed with categorizing people and labeling them as whatever they deem them to be. Convenient for them but hell for everyone else.

You gotta problem with marble babka, R87 plus one?

And what idiocy are you spouting, R91? Sorry, but Eurocentric White people don't get a vote in this; we (and he) are rightfully claiming, acknowledging and embracing Pope Leo as the Black man he is.

Enough!

He’s as black as Meghan Markle’s ginger children.

He’s spicy white.

[quote]white southern Evangelicals -- have more African ancestry

Shirley, you are delusional.

You telling me dat da Pope be hi yella? Looked like a straight up cracka on that balcony in Rome to me!

Sephardic Jew maybe?