New pope revives question: What is a 8216;Latino?8217;

European heritage is reviving debate in the United States about what makes someone a Latino

He is being hailed with pride and wonder as the 8220;first Latino pope,8221; a native Spanish speaker born and raised in the South American nation of Argentina. But for some Latinos in the United States,there8217;s a catch: Pope Francis8217; parents were born in Italy.

Such recent European heritage is reviving debate in the United States about what makes someone a Latino. Those questioning whether their idea of Latino identity applies to Pope Francis acknowledge that he is Latin American,and that he is a special inspiration to Spanish-speaking Catholics around the world. Yet that,in their eyes,does not mean the pope is 8220;Latino.8221;

These views seem to be in the minority. But they have become a distinct part of the conversation in the United States as the Latino world contemplates this unique man and moment.

8220;Are Italians Latino? No,8221; says Eric Cortes,who has been debating the issue with his friends.

8220;The most European alternative and the closest thing to an Italian,8221; is how Baylor University professor Philip Jenkins described Pope Francis in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

8220;Does a Latino have to have indigenous blood?8221; asked the LA Weekly newspaper of Los Angeles beneath the headline,8221;Is The New Pope Latino?8221;

8220;Latinos come in all colors and shades and features,8221; Ivette Baez said in an emotional debate on the 8220;Being Latino8221; Facebook page.

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The swirling discussion indicates just how much the man formerly known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio,whatever his ethnicity,means to Catholic Latinos.

8220;The Latino community tends to pride itself on the accomplishments of our own,8221; says Baez,a Puerto Rican who lives in New Jersey. 8220;And a lot of people are hoping that a Latino pope would bring more of a focus on the problems in Latin America.8221;

8220;After the president of the United States,he8217;s probably the most influential person in the world,8221; she says.

The conversation about Pope Francis8217; ethnicity is rooted in history and geography. Latin America is a complex region of deep racial and class narratives. The elites tend to be whites of European ancestry; the poor are often dark-skinned descendants of indigenous or African people.

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Latinos also can be of any race; many identify themselves as both Latino and white,or Latino and black. So debates were bound to happen with the elevation of a fair-skinned son of Italians born in South America8217;s most European city,a place

that has always identified more with Rome and Madrid than Caracas or Mexico City.