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Catholic Bishops Elect Defender of Immigrants as First Hispanic President U.S. Catholic Bishops Elect Hispanic Immigrant as Leader
(about 7 hours later)
BALTIMORE — The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States on Tuesday elected a Hispanic immigrant as their president for the first time by elevating Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who has long vowed to defend immigrants amid their fears of deportation.BALTIMORE — The Roman Catholic bishops of the United States on Tuesday elected a Hispanic immigrant as their president for the first time by elevating Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who has long vowed to defend immigrants amid their fears of deportation.
The bishops followed custom by selecting their previous vice president, but the move is nonetheless a pointed statement from Catholic leaders while President Trump continues to draw support for his anti-immigrant policy. Archbishop Gomez received 176 votes to 18 for the second finisher, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, who was later voted vice president. The choice of Archbishop Gomez was greeted with a standing ovation. The choice, on the same day that the Supreme Court heard the Trump administration’s argument to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, reflects the increasing importance of immigration as a moral and political issue for the church. It also is a sign of the church’s future: Nearly 40 percent of American Catholics are Hispanic.
“We have this situation at the border, which is a tragedy,” Archbishop Gomez said at a news conference following his election. “We are constantly talking about immigration, especially encouraging our elected officials to do something, and to come up with immigration reform that is reasonable and possible.” A pathway to legal immigration is a top priority for Archbishop Gomez, himself a naturalized United Citizen born in Mexico. In an interview after his election, the archbishop said he would be “happy” to meet with President Trump — “or anybody” — to discuss immigration reform.
The same morning that the bishops were casting ballots at their annual meeting in Baltimore, the Trump administration was at the Supreme Court arguing to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, which has shielded hundreds of thousands of young people from deportation. “The families that are coming are coming here because the situation in their countries is just horrible,” he said. “They are really wonderful people, they have good families, they work really hard, and it is just beautiful to see their lives. It seems that the elected officials do not understand that.”
Archbishop Gomez’s archdiocese, the largest in the country, held a prayer service for DACA recipients on the eve of his election. Just how this message translates to concrete policy and widespread action remains unclear. The Catholic bishops are not prone to overtly political statements, often relying on the symbolic to convey their message.
“In this great country, we should not have our young people living under the threat of deportation, their lives dependent on the outcome of a court case,” the archbishop, a naturalized American citizen who was born in Mexico, said in a message that was read at the Mass. Even if some oppose the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant crackdown, opposition to abortion drives much of the church’s public engagement. The Catholic bishops on Tuesday also approved a letter to their congregations ahead of the 2020 election calling abortion “our pre-eminent priority” and warning that some state legislators are “opening the door to infanticide.”
Archbishop Gomez, 67, has long been an outspoken, if largely uncontroversial, advocate for immigrants’ rights. In preparation for the Supreme Court hearing, his archdiocese, the largest in the country and where Mass is celebrated in 42 languages, held a prayer service for the hundreds of thousands of young people DACA has shielded from deportation.
“In this great country, we should not have our young people living under the threat of deportation, their lives dependent on the outcome of a court case,” the archbishop wrote in a message that was read at the Mass.
“So, we pray tonight that our president and Congress will come together, set aside their differences, and provide our young brothers and sisters with a path to legalization and citizenship,” he added.“So, we pray tonight that our president and Congress will come together, set aside their differences, and provide our young brothers and sisters with a path to legalization and citizenship,” he added.
It remains to be seen how strongly the bishops will challenge President Trump, whose abortion policy they largely support, under the leadership of Archbishop Gomez, 67. At the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ leadership election in 2016, when the archbishop was named vice president, the bishops issued a strongly worded letter to Mr. Trump reminding him they were committed to protecting immigrant families. Still, addressing immigration will be a significant challenge, especially in the country’s volatile political environment.
Archbishop Gomez’s focus on border detentions and family separations has often been more pastoral than overtly political. In September, he celebrated Mass during a three-day, 60-mile walking pilgrimage in solidarity with families separated at the border. He has created wallet-size cards for undocumented immigrants with instructions for what to do if they’re approached by immigration officers, with a personalized prayer on the back. The immigration reform platform on the website for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops was written in 2013, during the Obama era. Asked about the dated policy, Archbishop Gomez said, “Maybe that’s why they elected me.”
Other bishops have taken a more confrontational approach. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, led hundreds of protesters in a chant of “stop the inhumanity” in front of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in September. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso has personally escorted migrants across the border, and called Mr. Trump’s wall “a symbol of exclusion, especially when allied to an overt politics of xenophobia.” Archbishop Gomez said he hoped the bishops would back solutions for the DACA recipients known as Dreamers; for the more than 10 million people who are in the country without documents; for those with Temporary Protected Status; and for migrant workers.
The bishops are “key players” in the immigrants rights movement, but they could be even more significant “if their policy solutions were in step with the moment,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, chairwoman of Families Belong Together, a coalition of nearly 250 organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Beyond politics, the church must also work to overcome cultural resistance to immigrants in the country, Archbishop Gomez said. “Sometimes the people that are Anglo-Saxon, they don’t relate to the Latinos,” he said.
However, the policy solutions on the Catholic bishops’ website have not been updated since 2013, she said. “A lot has happened in the last few years, and it would be great to be hearing more from them right now,” said Ms. Morales Rocketto, who is Catholic. “I would absolutely love to see them have more focus on asylum and refugees, particularly in light of family separation and detention changes in the Trump administration.” Archbishop Gomez’s focus on border detentions and family separations has often been more pastoral than overtly political. In September, he celebrated Mass during a three-day, 60-mile walking pilgrimage in solidarity with families separated at the border. He has created wallet-size cards for undocumented immigrants with instructions for what to do if they are approached by immigration officers.
Unlike culture war issues such as abortion or gay marriage, immigration has long been a unifying issue for the Catholic bishops, said David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University. Other bishops have taken a more confrontational approach. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, led hundreds of protesters in a chant of “stop the inhumanity” in front of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility there in September. Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso has personally escorted migrants across the border and called Mr. Trump’s wall “a symbol of exclusion, especially when allied to an overt politics of xenophobia.”
In the broader immigrants’ rights movement, the bishops are “key players” but could become even more significant “if their policy solutions were in step with the moment,” said Jess Morales Rocketto, chairwoman of Families Belong Together, a coalition of nearly 250 organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Domestic Workers Alliance.
“A lot has happened in the last few years, and it would be great to be hearing more from them right now,” said Ms. Morales Rocketto, who is Catholic. “I would absolutely love to see them have more focus on asylum and refugees, particularly in light of family separation and detention changes in the Trump administration.”
In the Trump era, Catholics are divided largely on racial lines, posing a challenge to the bishops’ ministry. Many conservative Catholics support Mr. Trump, largely for his anti-abortion policies and attention to religious freedom. But about half of white Catholics approve of him, compared with about a quarter of nonwhite Catholics, according to the Pew Research Center.
Yet unlike culture war issues such as abortion or gay marriage, immigration has long been a unifying issue for the Catholic bishops, said David Gibson, director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University.
“Almost all the bishops can remember quite recently their own immigrant roots; this is central to the American Catholic identity,” Mr. Gibson said. Still, he added, “They are not necessarily in agreement with their own flock.”“Almost all the bishops can remember quite recently their own immigrant roots; this is central to the American Catholic identity,” Mr. Gibson said. Still, he added, “They are not necessarily in agreement with their own flock.”
Many conservative Catholics support Mr. Trump for his anti-abortion policies and attention to religious freedom despite his immigration crackdowns. About half of white Catholics approve of him, compared with about a quarter of nonwhite Catholics, according to the Pew Research Center. The choice of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, 71, of Detroit, as the next vice president was also closely watched because, as was the case with Archbishop Gomez, the vice president customarily becomes the group’s president after a three-year term. The bishops passed over several candidates known as more combative conservatives, including Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., who recently prohibited Illinois lawmakers who support abortion rights from receiving communion.
The choice of Archbishop Vigneron, 71, as the next vice president was also closely watched because that individual customarily becomes the group’s president in three years, when the next term begins. The bishops passed over several candidates known as more militant conservatives, including Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill., who recently prohibited Illinois lawmakers who support abortion rights from receiving communion. There is some quiet internal division among the bishops about what their political focus should be. The bishops approved the message that abortion was “our pre-eminent priority” despite resistance that arose on the conference floor. Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego argued that Pope Francis does not elevate abortion above other issues, but Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia received applause for his defense of the language.
There is some quiet internal division among the bishops about what their political focus should be. On Tuesday the bishops also approved a letter to their flocks ahead of the 2020 election warning that state legislators are “opening the door to infanticide” and calling abortion “our pre-eminent priority.” “The bishops still have a consensus about the gravity of the evil of abortion, but I personally don’t think that that view in any way contradicts the magisterium of Pope Francis,” Archbishop Vigneron, the new vice president, said in an interview.
The bishops approved the language despite resistance that arose on the conference floor. Bishop Robert W. McElroy of San Diego argued that Pope Francis does not believe abortion is the church’s pre-eminent priority, but Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia received applause for his defense of the language. But when it comes to national politics, he added, “We are very careful not to endorse a candidate.”
When Pope Francis’ representative to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, addressed the conference on Monday, he issued what some saw as an admonishment from Rome. He did not stress abortion but instead asked the bishops if “a spirit of hospitality towards migrants” was truly permeating their churches.When Pope Francis’ representative to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, addressed the conference on Monday, he issued what some saw as an admonishment from Rome. He did not stress abortion but instead asked the bishops if “a spirit of hospitality towards migrants” was truly permeating their churches.
“While there has been a strong emphasis on mercy by the Holy Father,” he said, “at times, paradoxically, people are becoming more and more judgmental and less willing to forgive, as witnessed by the polarization gripping this nation.”“While there has been a strong emphasis on mercy by the Holy Father,” he said, “at times, paradoxically, people are becoming more and more judgmental and less willing to forgive, as witnessed by the polarization gripping this nation.”
Despite his attention to immigration reform, Archbishop Gomez is largely seen as conservative on matters of Catholic doctrine. He was appointed as a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2001 and is a member of Opus Dei. Pope Francis has notably not made him a cardinal, which critics say signals that the pontiff may believe that other bishops are more aligned with the direction in which he hopes to take the church. Despite his attention to immigration reform, Archbishop Gomez is largely seen as conservative on matters of Catholic doctrine. He was appointed as a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2001 and is a member of Opus Dei, a Catholic group often seen as conservative. Pope Francis has notably not made him a cardinal, which critics say signals that the pontiff may believe that other bishops are more aligned with his direction for the church.
Archbishop Gomez’s election reflects the changing demographics of the Catholic Church in the United States. Nearly four in 10 Catholics in the country are Hispanic, according to the Pew Research Center, but Hispanics in the country are no longer majority-Catholic. According to a recent report from Pew, 47 percent are Catholic, down from 57 percent 10 years ago. Some victims advocates worried that the election of Archbishop Gomez signaled an insufficient response to the sex abuse crisis that has engulfed the church in the past year. Archbishop Gomez is among the bishops who have been criticized for mishandling cases of priests accused of sexual abuse or harassment. At least 17 state attorneys general, including in California, where he lives, have opened investigations into how church leaders have handled the crisis.
There have been fewer accommodations for Hispanic Catholics, like schools or priests from their own ranks, than there were for earlier generations of Catholic immigrants from Europe, said Mr. Gibson, the religion director at Fordham. Archbishop Gomez’s election reflects the changing demographics of the Catholic Church in the United States. Though the church is increasingly Hispanic, according to the Pew Research Center, Hispanics in the country are no longer majority-Catholic. According to a recent report from Pew, 47 percent are Catholic, down from 57 percent 10 years ago.
There have been fewer accommodations for Hispanic Catholics, like schools or priests from their own ranks, than there were for earlier generations of Catholic immigrants from Europe, said Mr. Gibson, the religion director at Fordham University.
So for many Hispanic clergy like Father Francisco Quezada in Colorado Springs, Archbishop Gomez’s election is a moment of cultural pride.So for many Hispanic clergy like Father Francisco Quezada in Colorado Springs, Archbishop Gomez’s election is a moment of cultural pride.
“There is a tremendous amount of respect for this man,” said Father Quezada, whose father was an immigrant from Mexico and who has known the archbishop for 30 years. “He is measured but deliberate. He is not reactionary, he responds.”“There is a tremendous amount of respect for this man,” said Father Quezada, whose father was an immigrant from Mexico and who has known the archbishop for 30 years. “He is measured but deliberate. He is not reactionary, he responds.”