BALTIMORE -- Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, an immigrant from Mexico, pledged to push for a more welcoming immigration system after winning election Tuesday as the first Hispanic to head the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"I'm humbled by your support," said Gomez, whose predominantly Hispanic archdiocese of 4 million Catholics is the largest in the U.S. "I think it is a blessing for the Latino community."
Gomez, 67, has been vice president of the bishops' conference for the past three years. He is considered a practical-minded conservative in terms of church doctrine but has made clear his disappointment over key immigration-control policies adopted by the Trump administration.
Gomez succeeds Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston, whose three-year presidency was complicated by the church's clergy sex-abuse crisis.
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After the election of Gomez, the bishops chose Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron, 71, as the new vice president.
Also Tuesday, the Catholic bishops voted to authorize development of a "comprehensive vision" for Hispanic ministry, to be completed over the next few years.
In discussing outreach to Hispanics, many bishops raised the role of Catholic education.
"I'd like to see you really promote our Catholic schools," said Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, "But we know that the vast majority of our Hispanic families cannot afford them."
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He suggested the use of tax credits and vouchers to help offset the cost of tuition.
A Section on 11/13/2019