Parkite Justin Hibbard found the Catholic Church in an unconventional way. He was Protestant for 39 years, a Baptist minister for another 11 and then converted to Catholicism at St. Mary’s a few years ago.
He now teaches the same adult convert program he went through in Park City.
Hibbard said the late Pope Francis is part of the reason he’s Catholic today.
He said the pontiff, a father figure for the church, is important at global and local levels.
"This is not like a political office where half the country hates them and half the country loves them," Hibbard said on KPCW's "Local News Hour." "It's not like that. It's really, this is supposed to be the person that we look up to."
For Hibbard, Pope Francis made a difference because he was first a pastor and then carried that experience into his papal duties.
“I was always impressed by the way that he refused to just preach to the choir. Instead, he really spoke to the crowd," he said.
Hibbard said Pope Francis worked to effect change by reaching out to communities outside the church.
The pontiff then used what he heard from the faithful and otherwise to help direct the future of the faith.
Now it’s a new leader’s turn to shape the church for years to come.
The first step toward a new pope is a conclave which begins May 7. In Vatican City, 133 cardinals will meet to discuss what they want in the next head of the church.
"He's talking to 1.4 billion people around the world," Hibbard said. "How does he bring together those people from all walks of life who are even in warring countries together? How does that happen?"
Inside the Sistine Chapel, the cardinals are sequestered to determine priorities and vote until a new pope is elected. Each voting round is signaled by black smoke from the chapel chimney until a new leader is elected, shown by plumes of white smoke.
Hibbard said the new pope is expected to be a pastor of all people, an administrative leader and, most importantly, a global advocate for peace and social justice.
