Young, local Catholics tracking ancient papal process through new technology
Reporter: Maggie Vespa
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - As Catholics around the world wait for the conclave to announced their new Pope, experts say this moment in history may have the greatest impact on younger members of the church.
After all, they have to live with the repercussions of this decision for decades to come.
It's not exactly your typical Sunday sermon.
"I think the motto is 'Beer is good. Beer and Jesus is great,'" said 27 year-old Ross Dubois.
But for young Catholics looking for a different way to drink in their daily dose of religion, this monthly meeting dubbed 'Theology on Tap' fits the bill.
"I like to live my faith in my daily life, and others do too, and here's a great forum for people to discuss faith," said 28 year-old Ben DuMontier.
Tuesday night at O'Malley's Pub on 4th Avenue, much of the talk turned to the historic process playing out in Vatican City.
An ancient practice, that many here are following via new-age technology.
"That's the first way that I found out about the pope resigning, was through Facebook," said 25 year-old Tamra Kasprzyk.
"This morning we went on the Vatican website, and they have live coverage," said DuMontier.
"The March Madness themed 'Who's Going to be the Next Pope?'" described Dubois.
And they're not the only ones.
In recent weeks, papal themed apps have reportedly been selling like Roman hotcakes.
There's 'the Pope App', 'Pope Election 2013', 'New Pope', and so on.
They offer bio info on the candidates and real-time updates on the election process.
The constant connection is comforting, say Catholics here, since this repercussions of this decision will be long lasting.
"They're affecting life decisions, morals, and even politics in ways," said Dumontier.
And that's why many are so specific about they qualities they'd like to see in their next leader.
"Somebody who can serve that role for a long time to come, somebody who can really be the face of the catholic church and can help lead young Catholics, old Catholics alike for a long time," said DuBois.
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