A New Pontiff: Local Catholics Welcome Pope Francis, First Latino Pope

Written by Laura Cavanaugh, Posted in Local, Posted: Thu, March 14 2013 at 12:37 AM, Updated: Thu, March 14 2013 at 12:57 AM

There was white smoke over the Vatican Wednesday as the Catholic Church elected its new leader.  Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, once Archbishop of Buenos Aires, took the name Pope Francis the first.
Francis is the first Pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit Pontiff.

Catholics all across the globe are ecstatic about the election of Pope Francis, the first Latin American Pope.  Among those looking forward to what's ahead, local Latinos.  NBC5's Laura Cavanaugh reports.

 

 

About the Author

Laura Cavanaugh

Laura Cavanaugh anchors NBC5 News at 6 and 11.

She brings incredible experience to the NBC5 news team.  In addition to producing television news in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Laura worked with Dateline NBC and ABC’s Primetime Live, Nightline, World News Tonight and Good Morning America.

She earned a Master's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in both Spanish and Business from the University of Michigan.  Laura won USC's Annenberg Director's Award for Excellence.

While working in New Mexico, Laura was recognized by the Associated Press for outstanding work and won two awards from the New Mexico Broadcasters Association.

As a former Spanish teacher, Laura believes in community service. In her free time, she spends her weekends volunteering and fundraising for organizations that benefit children, animals and people in need. Those organizations include CASA, S.M.A.R.T., Women's Crisis Support Team, Southern Oregon Latina Scholarship Fund and Dogs for the Deaf.

Laura enjoys salsa dancing, reading, good music, working out and college sports. She also loves to spend time with her miniature dachshund.

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