Last words
Jim takes a moment to share his personal and professional connections to the new American Pope Leo XIV and the late Rabbi Sholom Dovber Lipskar.
About Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV was born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago in 1955. He is the first U.S. pope in the church’s history, and is also a citizen of Peru, where he worked for many years.
CBS News Chicago reports he grew up in south suburban Dolton and has two brothers. A woman who knew him in childhood says the Prevost family was very active in their church.
“His family was very, very devout Catholics. I will say that. The mom and dad both were,” Linda Jorsch told the station. “They never missed church, and they were very active within our parish. His mom was like a member of the Altar & Rosary Society. They were lectors in their church — very active, very devout family.”
But the pontiff also has deep roots in Louisiana, and has Haitian and Creole ancestry.
About Rabbi Sholom Dovber Lipskar
Lipskar, one of Florida’s most influential Orthodox leaders and a powerhouse rabbi who helped transform Surfside and Bal Harbour into thriving Jewish communities, died last weekend. He was 78.
