Archbishop Gomez on immigration, Pope Francis, abuse scandal
March 29, 2013
In a Good Friday interview with ABC News, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles renewed his call for a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants in the United States.
“We have to give them the opportunity if they want to be citizens,” he said. “If…they don't have the opportunity, then we will create a permanent underclass in our society, which is not fair, and it's not the American way.”
Praising Pope Francis for his pastoral style, Archbishop Gomez, who was “totally” surprised by his election, said that “having somebody from Latin America that can understand your culture, and your traditions, and the way that you worship, and the way you relate to each other I think is going to be a big encouragement for Catholics in the whole continent, and especially for Latinos.”
“I think his Jesuit training, his love for the poor, his care for the poor and the way that he can deal with situations, will make him more pastoral, more close to the people,” he added.
Describing the clerical abuse scandal as a “huge, horrible tragedy in the life of the Church,” Archbishop Gomez said that “we have to try, we have been trying to minister to the victims of sexual abuse and do all we can, and we continue to help them in the process of healing.”
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Further information:
- Los Angeles Archbishop: Illegal immigrants should be given access to the American dream (Yahoo News)
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