Lugene Schemper is a theological librarian at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich. He wrote an article on seminary education for Hispanic pastors.

CNN reported an enthusiastic response from Latin America, and leaders of other faith groups in that region told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette they were pleased by Francis’ elevation and had had a good rapport with him during his time as a cardinal.

Read a Nov. 16, 2012, MSNBC article about the ‘Evangelical Immigration Table.”

Births among minority groups, mainly Latinos, now outnumber births among whites – a result of immigration and birth rates.

The Louisville Institute is a seminary that works to enrich the religious life of American Christians and to encourage the revitalization of their institutions, by bringing together those who lead religious institutions with those who study them, so that the work of each might inform and strengthen the other.

The Rev. Paul Barton teaches Hispanic church studies at Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. His expertise includes U.S. Hispanic Christianity, especially U.S. Hispanic Protestantism. His books include Hispanic Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists in Texas (2006).

Alberto Rodriguez is the founder of You Don’t Speak For Me!, a grass-roots collective of Latino activists who oppose illegal immigration. He has spoken against illegal immigrants and those who support them. He lives in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Gilberto Cardenas is director of the Institute for Latino Studies, which includes the Center for the Study of Latino Religions at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Ind.