The Independent News Source
NCR on Kindle - NCR classifieds - YouTube - Twitter - Facebook - Email Alerts - RSS
Printer-friendly version
PDF versionNew L.A. leader described as conservative but practical
Apr. 06, 2010
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of San Antonio looks over the destruction at the major Catholic seminary in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, during his visit to the earthquake-ravaged country in March. (CNS)
Paving the way for America’s first Latino cardinal, the Vatican announced April 6 that Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio has been named a coadjutor in Los Angeles, meaning that he will eventually succeed Cardinal Roger Mahony as leader of the archdiocese’s 4.3 million Catholics, the largest in the country in terms of population.
Gomez, 58, was ordained a priest in Opus Dei, and has a reputation as a defender of church teaching with a special emphasis on catechesis. Yet Gomez has also taken strong stands on social justice issues, especially immigrant rights, and people who have worked closely with him say he’s a practical figure willing to listen.
“He’s by no means an ideologue,” said Jesuit Fr. Allan Figueroa Deck, executive director of the Secretariat for Cultural Diversity of the U.S. bishops’ conference. “He’s very accessible, and fairly matter-of-fact in his approach to figuring out what works.”
Deck called Gomez’s appointment to Los Angeles “a great moment in the history of the Catholic church in the United States, a sign of the leadership that Latinos are exercising and need to exercise.”
Fr. David Garcia of San Antonio, who serves as a senior advisor to Catholic Relief Services, said that when Gomez arrived in San Antonio in early 2005, there was some trepidation that social justice ministries which had flourished under populist Archbishop Patrick Flores might suffer. In fact, Garcia said, that hasn’t been the case.
“He didn’t come in and squash anything,” Garcia said. “He encouraged what was already there, and gradually blended in some of his own priorities.”
That perception was echoed by Fr. Virgilio Elizondo, perhaps America’s best-known Hispanic Catholic theologian, who divides his time between San Antonio and Notre Dame.
“Any fears people had about him because of Opus Dei were quickly dispelled,” Elizondo said. “He’s a very moderate person. Ideological categories don’t really fit him.”
Elizondo said he was especially impressed by Gomez’s social concern.
“He often said that we can’t let San Antonio become like cities in Latin America, with a sharp distinction between rich and poor,” Elizondo said.
Garcia said another feature of Gomez’s personality is that he has both a strong personal vision, but also a capacity to listen.
“I’ve been in priests’ meetings where he would propose something, and it was pretty clear which way he wanted it to go,” Garcia said. “But if a good majority wanted to take another look at it, he would. It wasn’t always a foreordained conclusion.”
Preview NCR's Family Life Issue
Watch this video from NCR Editor Dennis Coday for highlights from our annual Family Life special section.
You won't find these articles on our website. Subscribe now to receive all the content from each biweekly issue.
Gomez was born in Monterrey, Mexico, on December 26, 1951, into a fairly well-to-do family. His father was a doctor, and Gomez studied to become an accountant before eventually being ordained a priest in 1978. In college he joined Opus Dei, a “personal prelature,” akin to a non-territorial diocese, which fosters an ethic of seeing work as a path to holiness. In church politics, Opus Dei is conventionally seen as leaning to the right.
Gomez studied theology in Rome and at the University of Navarre in Spain, the largest Opus Dei-affiliated university in the world, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and a doctorate in moral theology. After ordination, he served in several roles for Opus Dei in Houston, becoming a U.S. citizen in 1995.
Gomez was appointed an auxiliary bishop of Denver in January 2001. He served under Archbishop Charles Chaput, who hailed Gomez this week as “one of the best minds in the church in the United States,” as well as a leader with “a great gift for bringing people together from very different backgrounds.”
Within the U.S. bishops’ conference, Gomez has served as the first chairman of the Committee on Cultural Diversity, and now chairs a subcommittee for the Church in Latin America. He’s also chair-elect of the Committee on Migration, and a member of the Committee on Doctrine. Gomez is the founder of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, devoted to promoting dialogue between the church and the Hispanic community.
In San Antonio, one Gomez priority was promoting vocations to the priesthood. In 2008, he ordained nine new priests, the highest number since 1930. He led a capital campaign to build a new residence hall for Assumption Seminary, which today boasts a student body of 83.
Gomez has long been an important point of reference for Hispanic Catholics, who are projected to represent more than 40 percent of the country’s total Catholic population by 2030. In 2005 Gomez was named one of Time Magazine’s 25 most influential Hispanics in the United States, and in 2007 he was on a CNN's list of “Notable Hispanics” in America.
On a personal level, Deck described Gomez as a humble and approachable figure.
“He’s not a stuffed shirt at all,” Deck said.
[John L. Allen Jr. is NCR senior correspondent. His e-mail address is jallen@ncronline.org]
Our earlier story: Latino Opus Dei archbishop to head Los Angeles
A priest-friend in San
A priest-friend in San Antonio, no admirer of Opus Dei, strongly confirmed some time ago what John Allen has now written about Gomez. All things considered, this seems like one of those too rare cases where Rome (no doubt pushed strongly by Nuncio Pietro Sambi) really got it right. Cardinal Mahony's resignation is likely to be accepted by fax on his 75th birthday in Feb. 2011. Gomez will then become Archbishop of Los Angeles and a major figure in the U.S. Church. One can only praise God and be thankful
We in LA will never, NEVER, N
We in LA will never, NEVER, N E V E R accept an Opus Dei Bishop. This is further example as a church imploding from inside. These men are an authoritarian arm of the Vatican and will not be accepted or respected as a leader in this diocese!
R. Dennis Porch, MD
It is disappointing that some
It is disappointing that some will be willing to hear no more after 'Opus Dei'. I hope this is not the general reaction of Catholics in L.A.
I'll admit I shuddered a bit when I read about Archbishop Gomez's Opus Dei affiliation, but I'm glad I kept on reading. I am encouraged by his advocacy for the poor and immigrants, and his willingness to listen to divergent viewpoints.
Drawing lines in the sand rarely accomplishes much. I hope people are willing to give the archbishop a chance.
It's important to keep an
It's important to keep an open mind about these things. While I've never been a part of Opus Dei, I know people who were in it and some have even left the RCC after they left OD. NONE of them,neither the ones who left OD but stayed in the Church nor the ones who left OD and the Church, have a bad thing to say about OD. These were both men and women and all had good things to say about it.
I have a sneaking suspicion that LA will LOVE this new bishop because of his stance on social/immigration issues.
My, my! How very
My, my! How very authoritarian of you to speak for ALL 4.6 million Catholics in Los Angeles. What an utterly ridiculous statement you make. The vast majority of Catholics in L.A. are overjoyed at this great appointment!
You people here crack me up!
You people here crack me up! All the talk on these pages about loving thy neighbor, and not judging one another, evidently is a bunch of meaningless dribble. Instead of judging the man because of his associations, why can’t you embrace him as a fellow human being? Why can’t you give him the benefit of the doubt? Why can’t you at least consider his record and accomplishments in Denver and San Antonio before rushing to judgment?
Talk about being narrow-minded and judgmental. Sheesh.
Dr. Porch, Despite your
Dr. Porch,
Despite your objections he will be the Bishop. Curious, what actions will indicate your non-acceptance?
KC Hawk
One test will be how this
One test will be how this Opus Dei numerary treats the annual Religious Ed conference in LA. Will he respect and support a popular, well-attendedcgood thing or will he slowly but surely turn it into an EWTN wannabe?
Archbishop Chaput has called
Archbishop Chaput has called Gomez "the perfect choice." The Congress? The Congress is dead. The vibrancy of the Church in Los Angeles will be mightily swept away by the thoroughgoing restoration of medievalism.
Not to be all doom and gloom, but the great, big step back that's been made here...? Wow. Clearly, this is just the first, bitter taste of Archbishop Burke's curial influence.
Perhaps he will require a
Perhaps he will require a Catholic religious ed conference to teach the Catholic religion and celebrate Catholic liturgy?
Let's hope neither. I've seen
Let's hope neither. I've seen the atrocity of the convention and I've seen the atrocity of EWTN. Catechists deserve better.
Sorry you cant convince me
Sorry you cant convince me that anyone groomed in the Opus Dei tradition will be a positive force for the mainstream Catholic community. This authortaian appointment is just one more sign that the hierarchy pays no attention to those of us who have been faithful to Jesue' words our whole lives and firmly believe that Vatican II was guided by the Holy Spirit. Instead of recruting more young men (probably some who are afraid of moral ambiguity and their own sexuality), I would be more optimistic if he had any record at all of promoting women in leadership positions.
This is a MASSIVE, MASSIVE
This is a MASSIVE, MASSIVE dissappointment. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has the most priests of any diocese in the US. There wasn't a single one among all of them who had the skill to lead the LA Archdiocese? Really?
The LA Archdiocese has multiple auxillary bishops (including Gabino Zavala, a Latino who previously ran the local seminary) who know the Archdiocese and have served it well, and still the Holy See found it necessary to import Archbishop Gomez from Texas???
Cardinal Mahony has correctly been criticized for his handling of clerical sex abuse, but this does not change the fact that during his tenure as Archbishop, the implementation of the spirit and word of the Second Vatican Council has been enthusiastically carried out in the Archdiocese. Any of the many thousands who have had the privilege of attending the Archdiocese's Religious Education Congress (which John Allen describes as 'center-left' in orientation) have experienced this reality first hand.
I don't know of any other diocese in the US where lay ministers are as empowered as they are in Los Angeles. Now, that will be washed right down the drain. The Congress (at least as we've known it thus far) will be close behind it.
There were certainly much worse choices (e.g. Chaput), and I am glad somebody more reactionary than Archbishop Gomez was not chosen, but this does not change the fact that Gomez IS a conservative and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles is one of the closest things to a progressive diocese that we have in the US.
Now, that'll be lost.
It is extremely rare that an
It is extremely rare that an auxiliary bishop is promoted to lead the diocese where he has served as an auxiliary bishop.
Oh my God! The Church in LA
Oh my God! The Church in LA may have to be progressive and get with the times instead of living in the past and trying to "turn back the clocks" to 1976! You know the knew bishop will quickly get rid of the cheap ceramic vessels and dancing incense pots at Mass!
On the contrary, this is a
On the contrary, this is a MASSIVE, MASSIVE joy! Catholics in this Archdiocese have been having a vigilant countdown to Mahony's tenure. When one looks objectively at the history of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and sees its tremendous growth in laity, clergy, educational institutions, hospitals, etc. and then looks at the last 25 years one can only be disgusted at the utter malfeasence which has brought us down so low.
Gomez will have a tremendous challenge in rebuilding Catholicism in Los Angeles.
Is this what the council
Is this what the council wanted? The current Holy Father actually PARTICIPATED in the council, and is now the interpretter of Church law, which is not bound by the Council. Wouldn't he, who was there to hear, and in his office of peritus or theological expert, to help write, the VII documents, a better judge of what its "spirit" was?
Glad he is going somewhere
Glad he is going somewhere else ! Sorry that it is to a progressive Diocese. You will no doubt have several Latin Tridentine Masses installed within his 1st two years in LA. He did the same in SA. He does not allow women to be major roles at any of his Masses or when he is the presider of your Mass (he is at your parish for a special event). So no Extra ordinary Communion Ministers that are Women with this guy around ...not even if it is a religious organization of nuns - only men to continue the patriarch. All of your Archbishop fund raising annually will be raised as to the amount that your parish is responsible to giving the diocese. He focuses on money in the seminary and brings in Latin American candidates also pushes for the return of Latin in schools.
We are amazed that with so many qualified hispanic priests and Bishops already there in LA that he was chosen, although the priests here had it rumored for a couple of years that he was going to LA next.
Dig your heals in deep ! And if that does not work there is always the STOP GIVING the churches favorite $$$$$$$$$$.
BUT d not leave the church, this is a test of faith and strength, and power on the strong arm papacy of Rome.
May God be his guide and the
May God be his guide and the love of his life.
Jesus take care of him and keep the evil away from him.
Not practical for most if not
Not practical for most if not all Catholics to have anyone from Opus Die in a leadership role in the Roman Catholic Church in the United States or anywhere. Opus Die is a malignant cancer in the Church that needs to be rooted out and not given any leeway whatsoever! Opus Die leans so far right that it is fascist all the way and is not conservative.
How appropriate and prophetic a picture of Gomez at the ruins of the Church he will work to further destroy with his legions of devils and fascist.
John Allen, I look forward to the time when you take off the blinders and report about the truth of Opus Die!!
The sooner you take the blinders off, the better for the Catholic Church and the entire world.
Read John Allen's book on
Read John Allen's book on Opus Dei. It is truly fair and balanced, giving all sides a voice.
I am so glad for John Allen
I am so glad for John Allen that he has such a power to make the Church and the entire world better, as it is confirmed by this Anonymous Catholic. Congratulations, dear John! Keep your good work!
And for the Anonymous Catholic: please get informed about your Church. You may begin with the spelling. It is Opus Dei, not Opus Die. And although you may wish the Opus Dei to die, it is here to stay - even after you die. So, better repent first and stop calling others "devils and fascists". (I am available for your confession.)
Your comments simply show
Your comments simply show ignorance. It is obvious that you've gotten your knowledge of Opus Dei from Dan Brown and his "Da Vinci Code." Please do yourself a favor and try to inform yourself before spewing ignorant hatred.
Thanks be to God LA finally
Thanks be to God LA finally got a Catholic Catholic Archbishop!
Where is El Obispo Gomez on
Where is El Obispo Gomez on issues related to clergy abuse? Will it be same-old/same-old, but with a different accent an a hair shirt??? In my experience Opus Dei members seem quite the regular guys (which always surprises people who are expecting the hunorless minyans of Torquemada), until you probe more deeply. Roger willco and out.
Actually, Gomez has been one
Actually, Gomez has been one of the best bishops on the subject of clerical abuse by clergy. In the cases which he has dealt with (mostly dealing with Religious Order members over which he has no jurisdiction) he has been diligent in reporting to civil authorities and ensuring that nothing is covered up. He will be a refreshing influence in Los Angeles. Try not to pre-judge the man without even knowning about him.
"Minyan"--don't you mean
"Minyan"--don't you mean "minion?" A minyan is the required number of males required to be present at synagogue for a service to take place. A minion is like a toady or boot-licker, a yes-man. Yes, spelling does make a difference.
He is seen by some as
He is seen by some as socially and doctrinally conservative, and is seen by some as a social justice advocate. Well, that sounds ideal to me; he sounds like a "good Catholic" who cares about the people who God had chosen him to lead, which is ultimately all we need in our bishops.
As USUAL, NCR readers are
As USUAL, NCR readers are clueless. Bishop-Opus Dei-Conservative. That says it all on where he stands on everything. He will not do anything that can not be predicted and people will feign surprise when he is found to be guilty of a sex abuse cover up, issues anti-Democrat statements, etc.
Well, they like him in ORANGE
Well, they like him in ORANGE COUNTY:
http://www.archdiosa.org/bishops/jgomez/Documents/Speeches/OrangeCountyP...
I hope people in LA will give
I hope people in LA will give him a chance. If what the article says about him rings true, he needs space and support to work. Opus Dei scares me, but why crucify him before he has a chance to prove himself? I will pray for him and the people of LA.
pat
Let's give the guy a chance,
Let's give the guy a chance, at least. The fact that he is described as NOT an ideologue is very promising. The fact he is a listener is also very hopeful and his past record in relation to social justice points to someone who might make a positive contribution to L.A.
Prayer and patience!
"Gomez studied theology in
"Gomez studied theology in Rome and at the University of Navarre in Spain, the largest Opus Dei-affiliated university in the world, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and a doctorate in moral theology."
What nonsense he learned from Opus Dei! Theology? What kind of theology did he learn from Opus Dei? He learned to hate his own flesh. If he hates his own flesh, he will hate everyone else too.
He was taught in Opus Dei to love pain. He will therefore be a pain to others.
A doctorate in Moral theology from an Opus Dei affiliated university? It is very sad that the Roman Catholic Church would honor this group of sick perverts who whip themselves and believe that is "moral." or has anything to do with the work of God.
Check out this website to find out about Opus Dei - http://www.odan.org/index.htm
The RCC has gone to the dogs!
Opus Dei women operate in
Opus Dei women operate in positions subservient to men- with the emphasis on" servient".
Let's see how the new "leader" treats the different kinds of women's orders in his archdiocese.
Is this good-bye to girl altar girls? Or, maybe just putting them at the least attended Masses, slowly suffocating them - the Vatican way.
This is not a good sign for women in the church.
Look at the pattern of the present pope's decisions toward women- A clear pattern of submission for both the nuns and wives. No power in big decisions. No freedom of speech.
I am always hopeful- but prepared for women- destructive policies and initiatives.
After all, the hierarchy can't pull the submit-to me-card on young male children anymore without risk.
If they do decide to get their supremacy-needs met on women, I think they are in for a big surprise
Advice to the nuns:hold tight to the deeds on to your property.
I trust John Allen to do his
I trust John Allen to do his homework and honestly present situations from a variety of angles. We have had our say; how about putting our trust in God and praying for a fellow human being and servant of God and people, Archbishop Jose Gomez.
Thank you NCR
The Vatican has been sending
The Vatican has been sending reactionary bishops to California to replace progressive ones for a decade now, intensifying the effort in the aftermath
of the abuse scandal.
Across the country, replacing progressive bishops with neo-conservative ones has been terribly disruptive, driving some of the most active Catholics right into other denominations or into inactivity or into alternative expressions of their Catholicism.
In Los Angeles, where the Church is so much a part of the support of social justice, this could be tragic.
As to Bishop Jose Gomez's record on abuse, SNAP has raised some concerns and you can be the judge of their validity.
What is really more daunting is there seems to be little concern for continuity in a diocese when these appointments are made.
Progressive or conservative aside, a bishop's style should not be sharply at odds with his predecessor. This is out of consideration for all of the people who make up the diocese, from the chancery to the parish staffs to the laity.
This is wonderful news! I
This is wonderful news! I hope this is indicative of a shift towards true Catholicism in a wayward diocese. There is much, much damage to repair in L.A.
Amen! Amen! Amen! Archbishop
Amen! Amen! Amen! Archbishop Gomez will be warmly welcomed in L.A.
I love the “but” in the
I love the “but” in the title…is it not possible to be conservative “and” practical?
Opus Dei! Oh No!
Opus Dei! Oh No!
Many years to Archbishop
Many years to Archbishop Gomez! This is an awesome choice. Most beloved by his fellow Texans, Archbishop Gomez will be an awesome shepherd in Los Angeles. And hopefully he'll be able to gradually change the tide of destruction by fostering an authentic Catholic identity with a myriad of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. As a young adult, my own personal hope is that he'll help revitalize campus ministry in the archdiocese and will appoint folks who aren't afraid of the Catholic faith to teach and lead our college age young adults.
As John Allen has so rightly pointed out, the spirituality of Opus Dei is actually the spirituality of the Second Vatican Council: the universal call to holiness for every man and woman. We can all be saints! A solid leader in the tradition of the Second Vatican Council is exactly what Los Angeles needs now.
Dear Scoob, As someone who
Dear Scoob,
As someone who has been involved at a vibrant campus ministry in LA for many, many years (at UCLA), I am afraid I don't understand the basis for your comment about "appointing folks who aren't afraid of the Catholic faith to teach and lead our college age young adults" -- no one I have worked with on a succession of staffs has been in the least bit afraid of the Catholic faith, or of helping young adult Catholics at UCLA find and claim their own baptismal commitments in an environment that proudly preaches and proclaims the unconditional love of Jesus the Christ, the abundant mercy of God the Father, and the breath of new life in the Holy Spirit blowing through our church in the age of Vatican II.
It is true that campus ministry in the wider archdiocese needs to be revitalized, but that has nothing to do with some sort of ideological impurity, as you suggest, but because the campus ministry office had to be disbanded (a casualty of the huge pay-out the archdiocese needed to make because of the large number of sexual abuse victims who suffered at the hands of a small percentage of LA priests) ... so no one has been available to lead young Catholics at any of the Cal State campuses since early in this new century, whether conservative, progressive or middle of the road. To revitalize campus ministry in LA requires a new commmitment of diocesan funding, not some kind of litmus test of "authentic" ideological purity. Indeed, the universal call to holiness for every Christian has little to do with appointing oneself the arbiter of someone else's Catholic authenticity -- after all, it was our Lord Himself who said, "Judge not, lest you be judged."
I will miss Cardinal Mahony's dynamic leadership on matters liturgical, his commitment to catechesis and evangelization as expressed in the world's largest, thriving Religious Education Congress, his work for true collaboration between clergy and laity and empowerment within the Church of those in the laity who still feel called to ecclesial ministry (expressing that universal call to holiness you evoke). Archbishop Gomez and the whole archdiocese will be in my prayers, so that that excellent legacy can be sustained, not squandered.
praying for an end to division and finger pointing within the holy Body of Christ,
JHE in LA
Opus Dei priests are very
Opus Dei priests are very holy and love God, in my experience. I am sure this man will make an excellent Bishop to lead the people of LA to holiness and show them the face of Jesus. I suggest the commenter who said he will not accept this Bishop, prayer for humility to take your proper place in the Church, as Christ instructed: ''He who hears you, hears me.''
I'm very suspicious that you
I'm very suspicious that you label the new archbishop conservative but practical. Right to Life considers themselves conservative but practical. Judas considered himself conservative but practical. Obama considers his fiscal policies conservative but practical. Jesus was conservative and dogmatic in His teachings, He wasn't practical. That's why they crucified Him.
The "spirit of VII" is a
The "spirit of VII" is a false idea of what some people would have liked VII to advocate. It is NOT the real VII. Read the actual documents.
Be charitable and obedient to authority. The Church is not a democracy. Also, Opus Dei is NOT some evil force. Pope JPII thought very highly of it, for one thing.
To Anonymous Catholic: So
To Anonymous Catholic: So what did you think about that "sick pervert" John Paul II, who also reportedly whipped himself in search of spiritual perfection?
To Odysseus: Did it ever occur to you that the Church wants men, too, to submit to God's will?
To G Bullough: Whatever SNAP's original intent, it has degenerated into an anti-Catholic monstrosity. It seems more interested in destroying the Church than seeking justice for the (mostly) you men who were abused by the homosexuals in priestly garb. Darned few were pedophiles.
To all those who are "afraid" of Opus Dei. I am not a member. I don't think I could live up to the challenge to be holy they call for, but all the OP men I have met are truly holy men who conform themselves to the will of God as best they can. How about you critics? Or do you define for yourselves what is good? Hypocrites! It must be nice to be your own Pope, infallible in all things holy and good.
Post new comment