Cardinal Daniel DiNardo is ending his term as USCCB president amid calls that he also resign as Archbishop of Galveston-Houston over his handling of abuse cases. His likely successor is Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles, who currently serves as DiNardo’s vice-president. Although LA is the largest diocese in the United States, and though it was one of the dioceses hit worst by the first sex-abuse crisis in the early 2000s, it has remained relatively scandal-free of late.
In a country ravaged by partisan squabbles, Gómez is a strikingly diplomatic figure. Though staunchly orthodox in his theology and boasting a solid pro-life track record, Gómez is the strongest voice in the USCCB opposing President Donald Trump’s border wall. As a conservative on moral issues and a progressive on social-justice ones, Gómez has wide appeal to Catholics regardless of which aisle they seat themselves on. His capital has also risen as he has taken a strong stance against legislation in the California senate that would require priests to break the Seal of the Confessional if they acquire information about clerical sex abuse in the course of hearing Confessions.
One would assume that Gómez, who was born in Mexico and ordained a priest of Opus Dei, is a natural ally of Pope Francis: a fellow Latin American with close ties to the Prelature. Curiously, however, Gómez has been repeatedly passed over for a cardinal’s hat. Why he remains apparently unpopular with the current Vatican leadership isn’t entirely clear. Any gains in the US bishops’ war against corruption may come at the expense of the USCCB’s already shaky relationship with the Holy See.
Not surprisingly for a priest of Opus Dei, Gómez returns again and again to the theme of personal holiness in his writings and homilies. “The mission of the Church is to bring the message of Christ to the people of God,’ he told the media before the plenary session. “So I think that’s a priority for us too, and everything it has to do with the call to holiness is important for the Church.”
That seems a particularly fitting message at a time when bishops are seen as rather too careless about matters of personal holiness.
– from a June 20 story in the Catholic Herald (U.K.)
Obviously, the author who lives in the U.K. has no idea what things are really like in Gomez’s archdiocese. “Gomez has wide appeal to Catholics…” um, yeah, nope. The article reads like a high school sophomore who cut and paste some things from Wikipedia for a class assignment.
Could the reason [whatever that is] Gomez is not a Cardinal is the same reason he will not be head of USCCB?
I was excited to see Gomez lead LA’s archdiocese, until the reality set in that very little has changed since Mahony retired – the Religious Education Conference continues to be more heretical every year, and Mahony still has free reign in LA (despite Gomez finally sanctioning Mahony by restricting his public ministry in LA, this policy was embarrassingly and publicly reversed, where Gomez referred to Mahony as a bishop “in good standing”).
Gomez is mostly known for advocating for open borders, a curious policy for someone deemed “orthodox.”
The last thing you’ll find Gomez doing is publicly admonishing the plethora of so-called “Catholic” public officials who’s main dogma is abortion, homosex decriminalization of drugs.
In the recent Bishop Survey, Gomez didn’t do very well. http://www.complicitclergy.com/2019/06/18/bishop-trust-survey-results/
He received a score of 1.7 (on a 5-point scale) in “trust” and a 2.3 (on a 1-5 point scale) in “orthodoxy”.
There are far better bishops who should lead — and clean up — the USCCB.
I always thought that an archdiocese could not have two living cardinals. A little research finds that tradition dictates that no diocese will have more than one cardinal of voting age. Even though archbishop Cardinal Roger Mahony is now 83, there may be other circumstances.
In whose mind has his time come. I ask time for what!
Not impressed with him. The insane religious education conference has as many liturgical dancers and controversial speakers as ever.
I had to double check the author of this article, it sounded like a political statement that surrounds too many of our archbishops and cardinals. I hardly think he would be a good USCCB President. A recent video showing his silence when asked a question, which forced his man-handler to shelter Gomez from the questioner was pathetic to say the least.
Don’t they speak English in the U.K. ?
If they can’t figure out what’s going on in the U.S., I shudder to imagine what the rest of the world thinks happens here.
Gomez is a good man but Pope Francisco opposes Opus Dei right back from his days as a Peronista Jesuit in Buenos Aires. Too much bad blood between Jesuits and Opus Dei for Gomez to become a Cardinal. Francisco prefers Mahony.