Come Sept. 26 and 27, the Latino ascendant becomes visible, tangible and undeniable in our city — and we’re celebrating that in the Pope’s language

There is an expression in Spanish —ningunear — which more or less means “to feel free to ignore; to discount importance, impact and contribution; to “nobodyize.”

Latinos in Philadelphia, indeed in the United States, often struggle with being nobodyized in a variety of ways. For example, when an  important meeting to improve relations between police and Philadelphia communities doesn’t include any Latino community organizations. 

Or when prognostications of low Latino voter participation are used to nobodyize the community and the Latino candidate who have the audacity to think they have something of value to say to the city at large. 

Or when Business Development Initiatives take place without the input of the Latino merchants whose corridor of storefronts has become a thrillingly active and growing hub of commerce.  

Or when, as happened to one of us, your pastor tells you there are no Latinos in the parish even while he’s talking to you face to face.

But it is impossible to nobodyize Pope Francis and the impact his visit will have — on the United States, on Philadelphia, on the Latino community nationally and locally.

This world leader, this Latin American with unprecedented global reach, will be here to talk to us about faith and family, and about “the better angels of our nature” (to quote Lincoln, from whose lectern Pope Francis is slated to talk about immigration at Independence Mall). 

And he will do all this in Spanish. 

The language that lends many of us Latinos our commonality. Our first language, or the language of our families, or part of our ancestry. The language, often enough, in which we first experienced or held faith. 

When we at AL DÍA learned that Pope Francis would be coming to Philadelphia, we knew we had to create a commemorative issue. And despite the fact that aldianews.com is a fully bilingual website, we knew we wanted to publish the commemorative in Spanish. 

In this week's issue you will find that commemorative. A 32-page publication that not only marks the visit of the Pope, but makes note of the significance of Latinos within the Catholic Church globally, nationally, locally. 

The special edition also gives voice to the particularly Latino hopes for what this papal visit might mean — not only to Latinos, not only to Catholics, but to all of us. 

Two of the seminarians at St. Charles Borromeo seminary who we interviewed really give voice to those hopes. 

One is, of course, that the Pope can speak about immigration and immigrants in a way that reflects the soul of our nation:

“I speak from personal experience when I say that immigrants come here in search of a better life. I hope people are open to hearing the Pope’s message (about immigration).” 

— Noe Ramirez 

The second is that the chasms that have been created between Latino and non-Latino in our nation (chasms that Donald Trump has made worse with his words) can be bridged:

“There are gaps that leave us feeling like we are not one family, one children of God ... I would like to think that the pope’s visit will help to bridge those gaps.”

— Jairo Alberto Maldonado

What you hold in your hands (or if you are reading this online, what is available at the nearest AL DÍA honor box for the next two weeks. as of Sept. 17) is an affirmation of Latino faith. 

Faith in our place: in the Catholic Church, in the city of Philadelphia, in the world.

Faith that as you turn each page of the commemorative edition, the Latino presence becomes  more visible, more tangible, more undeniable. 

And faith that this special edition — which has been a privilege for us to produce  — will be an enduring affirmation of our community, a community that will no longer be nobodyized.