Amid the country’s escalating immigration crisis, Archbishop José H. Gomez encouraged Catholics at the June 24 Mass for All Immigrants not to be “discouraged by voices of fear and ugliness,” but to be “coworkers in renewing the soul of America.”
“God will never leave his people alone,” Archbishop Gomez said, reflecting on the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist before faithful from the dioceses of Orange and San Bernardino gathered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for the Mass.
“In every time and place, he raises up prophets like Isaiah and John the Baptist — to call out injustice, to point out the way for us to go.”
Among those present were 30 pilgrims who walked 60 miles from Lake Forest beginning Friday morning in solidarity with migrants. They were joined Sunday morning by Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell at Dolores Mission Parish in East LA, and later, by Archbishop Gomez during the final leg of pilgrimage from La Placita Olvera in downtown.
In his homily, the archbishop condemned the government’s failure to address the “broken immigration system” for “breaking up families and hurting children — and doing it in our name, in the name of America.”
Despite the Trump administration’s reversal of the “zero-tolerance” policy ordering immigrant families to be detained separately, the Mexican-born prelate reminded the faithful it will take months to reunite the thousands of children in facilities with their parents.
He also called on politicians to put political calculations aside to work towards meaningful immigration reform, especially for DACA recipients whose legal status is in question.
“For years now, we have been asking our leaders to fix our broken immigration system. Year after year, they keep telling us, ‘Mañana, mañana,’” the archbishop said.
“Brothers and sisters, we need to tell our leaders — no more ‘mañanas,’ no more excuses. The time is now.”
At the end of Mass, Bishop O’Connell asked all people of faith at the Mass and those tuning in via livestream to call their local representative on July 10 and ask them to support a bipartisan bill like the USA Act or make it a priority to work on a piece of legislation that will be a fair and just compromise for immigrants.
Full story at Angelus News.
The Archbishop has rendered himself into just another social worker whose personal opinion you can ignore. His personal feelings are NOT Church teachings and he has seemingly lost interest in helping save the souls of the people in his Los Angeles diocese. Dereliction of duty sir!!
And by the way – Why not the same intensity concerning abortion, where babies are literally being ripped from their mother’s wombs?
Ab. Gomez, you’re no longer a credible nor relevant Catholic voice. I hope you never get the red hat.
How about no more mananas regarding cleaning up the network of homosexual clergy in the church? The revelations about Cardinal McCarrick reveal that major USCCB bishops have been complicit in allowing homosexual predators to rise to the highest levels in the church hierarchy. This network of gay priests covering for each other, promoting each other, and intimidating others into silence about what goes on behind closed rectory and seminary doors has to stop. No more mananas, bishops. Get your own house in order before you say anything about the U.S. or anyone else.
The chancery office is infected, and not just among clergy. Especially the office of religious education. That’s the lay gay HQ of the archdiocese. Gomez knows, but he does nothing. Just like those who knew about Cardinal McCarrick yet did nothing. They have the goods on each other, which is why they cover for each other and won’t expose anyone. It’s mutually assured destruction if anyone says anything because all the dirt will fly and it will be ugly. You thought 2002 was bad? That was a skirmish. If the dam ever bursts to reveal what’s going on, it will be like nuclear war.
The chasm separating Catholic bishops and the lay faithful could not be wider. There is almost a complete disconnect between the church’s bishops and the people in the pews. I will not stand for more lecturing from any bishop who tries to make me vote Democrat or support liberal policies. This “mass” was a Democrat political rally, not worship.
Keep harping on about illegal immigrants, bishops, and you’ll drive more Catholics away. Why should I go to church if it’s going to feel like I turned on MSNBC or CNN?
This is America, so please speak English. I don’t think any American legislator said “manana”.
Would it not be inspirational, motivational if we heard such enthusiasm re the removal of preborns from their mothers’ wombs from our ordained leadership?
What might be the results eliminating the need for migrant labor twenty years down the line?
In the spirit of the biblical mote and beam, scofflaw Gomez should return south and clean out his own cesspool before lecturing the U.S. about leaving the seat up.
My questions: “Where are the parents of children and teens who are coming over here by themselves or with people not their parents?” Did the parents give permission for them to be taken across the border or were they kidnapped? I have seen some with signs such as “protect trans gender kids.” What do they mean by that? Are they being protected from sexual abuse or being indoctrinated in our public schools to accept phony sex changes.
The anon post June 26 at 7:09 pm was mine. Those are questions every conscientious border patrol agent should be asking, but they are being slammed for doing their duty in many cases.
Cardinal Mahony is prominent in the line of bishops behind Archbishop Gomez. Wasn’t he supposed to have no public face nor presence in the archdiocese anymore? Think of all those hundreds of millions of dollars paid out to settle homosexual clergy abuse cases because of Mahony sweeping things under the rug and providing cover. What good could have been done in the church with that money! McCarrick, Weakland, Mahony, Law, Ziemann, and so many others. Filth and corruption. Yet they lecture us about how to live and what to do?
Robert , Amen to your post !, I would correct you it is in the billion plus range , it took 5 years and the law firms did not work pro bono , the cost in souls , ruined lives and damage to the church in the public eye and it’s needed moral authority , that damage is beyond calculation .
The man actually compared himself to Isaiah and John the Baptist. Very cheeky.
Jose el Blabtista.