Curry Says Obama No Lame Duck, Pg. 28
I N S I D E
I N S I D E
Glenn Ivey Enters Crowded Field for Congress, Pg. 12
Survey on Race Reveals Noteworthy Results, Pg. 31
D.C.’s Young Moms, Children Get Helping Hand, Pg. 18
Native Son, Nationals’ Denard Span Tells All, Pg. 37
Vol. 50, No. 49 SEPT 17 - SEPT 23 , 2015
CBCF Welcomes Thousands to the District See Page 8
Deacon William Bradley (left) served with Archbishop Chaput during Ash Wednesday Mass. /Photo courtesy of Catholic News Service
P/hoto courtesy
Wizards, Mystics Make Southeast New Home
Bowser, Leonsis, Events DC Strike $55 Million Deal By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor After years of speculation and presumably countless hours of meetings, a deal has been brokered that will bring a $55 million project to Southeast, impacting the local economy by an estimated $90 million. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser,
Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder, Majority Owner and CEO Ted Leonsis and Events DC President and CEO Greg O’Dell made the announcement on Wednesday, Sept. 16 that plans have been finalized to build a new stateof-the-art Entertainment and Sports Arena at St. Elizabeth’s
WIZARD Page 8
Black Catholics Await Pope’s Visit By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer When Pope Francis arrives in the District on Tuesday, Sept. 22, he will touch down in a nation’s capital that has the most diverse Catholic community with no racial or ethnic group making up a majority of the faith’s population. Washington, D.C. has the largest percentage of Black Catholics of the three cities – D.C., Philadelphia and New York – on the Pope’s itinerary for his U.S.
visit, according to the Public Religious Research Institute, a nonprofit organization located in Northwest dedicated to research at the intersection of religion, values and public life. The long-held image of the church as a white religion has taken a considerable turn said Deacon William Bradley, the director of the Archdiocese’s Office for Black Catholics. Bradley said when the Pope arrives, Black Catholics will be among those to welcome him. “African Americans and certainly all Black Catholics in our
Archdiocese are very excited about the Papal visit,” Bradley said. “There is great energy building among all faith communities for this historic visit. We all have an opportunity to build on the excitement of this week by working together, as communities of faith, to strengthen our families.” Of the approximately one billion Roman Catholics throughout the world in more than 59 countries, 270 million are of African descent, according to
Celebrating 50 Years of Service / Serving More Than 50,000 African American Readers Throughout The Metropolitan Area
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POPE Page 9