Out of many identities, one person
On the Cubs and White Sox, pizza joints, and the many overlapping layers of identity -- even for the new Pope
The election of Pope Leo XIV has already begun immersing Americans in a much-needed cultural lesson about the importance of multiple layers of identity. On the light or even frivolous side, the news media in his hometown of Chicago has already quizzed the Pope's brother about whether he is a Cubs or a White Sox fan. (He's with the South Siders.)
■ But his identity as the first American Pope offers a familiar and recognizable set of layered identities which are not in conflict with one another, but merely exist in many different and rich layers. He is both Italian and Creole by ancestry. His roots are both in Chicago and New Orleans. As a result of his ministry, he holds both American and Peruvian citizenship -- though now he becomes the head of state in a different country altogether.
■ He is a graduate of a familiar American university (Villanova) and an international missionary who speaks more languages than most people. Yet the new Pope is also a man who has a favorite pizza spot in Chicago and plays Words with Friends with his brother. Classmates once knew him as Bob.
■ American culture needs periodic reminders to acknowledge and celebrate our different layers of identity. Our families come from somewhere, and so do we. We have alma maters and favorite teams. We have recreational hobbies and vocational status. We have our birth families and the friends we adopt as like-families. We are fans of music and movies and literature by lots of different creators, and undoubtedly quite soon we will discover that the new Pope is at least a quiet fan of some familiar 80s rock star.
■ These layers of identity enrich us. Too many people want to strip them down to a lazy mono-identity -- often centered on political affiliation. It's already happening to the new Pope. That may make for good TV ratings, but it makes for a terrible culture. Nobody is one identity alone.
