Latin American Pope

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  Pope Francis Praises Church 'Sacrifices' in Cuba

  Pope Francis on Monday praised the sacrifices of the Catholic Church in communist Cuba, with the island in the midst of a delicate process of resuming relations with the United States.

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  Pope Francis Jokes He Doesn't 'Do Drugs'

  Pope Francis on Monday joked that he did not have to 'take drugs' when questioned by a journalist as to the secret of his energy during a whirlwind tour of three Latin American countries.

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  Pope Francis Gets a Tango Treat on 78th Birthday

  Thousands of people sang "Happy Birthday" and danced a mass tango on Wednesday to celebrate the birthday of the first Latin American pope.

• Huge crowds in Brazil welcome pope back to home continent

  Pope Francis arrived in Brazil on Monday on his first foreign trip as pontiff and was swarmed by well-wishers as he drove into Rio de Janeiro, where more than one million people are expected to gather to see the first Latin American to head the Roman Catholic Church.

• Pope Francis admits to 'gay lobby' in Vatican administration: report

  Pope Francis has admitted the existence of a "gay lobby" inside the Vatican's secretive administration, the Roman Curia, allegedly exposed during a leaks scandal, according to a Latin American Catholic website.

• New pope revives question: What is a 'Latino?'

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

• Cardinal says Latin American or African pope possible

  Cardinal Kurt Koch, a close aide of Pope Benedict who will cast his vote for the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church, says there is no reason why the new pontiff cannot be African or Latin American.