Isle Catholic leaders extol pope as refreshing choice

By Marcie Kagawa

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Mar 14, 2013

~~<p>Hawaii Catholic Church officials hailed the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina to the papacy as a breath of fresh air for a church beleaguered by scandal and searching to remain relevant in a changing world.</p>
<p>"I think it's a very refreshing move as the church really has seen most of its growth in the past several decades in the Southern Hemisphere, so it's a great thing that an Argentinian pope has been named," the Rev. Larry Silva, bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu, said Wednesday. "I think it's also an indication that the church really is an international organization. It's the Catholic Church, which means it's universal."</p>
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Hawaii Catholic Church officials hailed the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina to the papacy as a breath of fresh air for a church beleaguered by scandal and searching to remain relevant in a changing world.

"I think it's a very refreshing move as the church really has seen most of its growth in the past several decades in the Southern Hemisphere, so it's a great thing that an Argentinian pope has been named," the Rev. Larry Silva, bishop of the Diocese of Honolulu, said Wednesday. "I think it's also an indication that the church really is an international organization. It's the Catholic Church, which means it's universal." Login for more...