Hudson Valley immigrants say they have lost a powerful voice following pope's death
They say Pope Francis was the best, most progressive pope because he defended immigrants and other marginalized groups, regardless of what might have been politically beneficial at the time.
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Several Hudson Valley immigrants said Tuesday that with the death of Pope Francis, they have lost one of their most powerful supporters.
"We're 100% Catholic, and we have him in our hearts," said Rene Enamorado, of Middletown, originally from Honduras.
"I've had a tough struggle here in the United States," he said in Spanish, adding that the Pope's consistent, public support of immigrants in western countries since becoming Pope in 2013 had always given him hope.
Francis, the first Latin American Pope, has criticized American and European policies against immigrants, saying those policies are inhumane.
Earlier this year, just before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Francis called the U.S.'s plans for mass deportation "a disgrace."
Enamorado and others said "Papa Francisco" was the best, most progressive pope because he defended immigrants and other marginalized groups, regardless of what might have been politically beneficial at the time.
Shannon Kelly, CEO of Catholic Charities of Orange, Sullivan and Ulster, said that when Pope Francis visited New York City in 2015, she brought a group of Hudson Valley farmworkers to meet him.
"So that he would have the opportunity while he was meeting folks in the city to see that the state of New York is filled with a wide variety of people," she said.
Catholic Charities' data show the organization connected 623 immigrants with legal services last year.
Enamorado is hoping for another progressive pope.
Kelly said she is confident the next pope will at least support her organization's mission: to uplift the area's poor and marginalized.
