LA Archbishop: God loves us ‘no matter what country we come from'
By Joseph Tulloch
For nearly a week, the US city of Los Angeles has been gripped by widespread protests against the Trump administration’s policy of mass deportations.
The demonstrations, which have now spread to other cities, began on 6 June in response to raids carried out in L.A. by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
These protests were the context for an 11 June celebrated by Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles.
The Archbishop began his homily by decrying the “tension, … uncertainty, and violence” on the streets of Los Angeles. He also offered prayers for “our neighbours who are hurting - good hard working men and women, people of faith”, as well as for “the police and for all those who put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe”.
“God,” Archbishop Gomez said, “has a plan for his creation, a dream of love for the whole human race.”
“Jesus loves us so much that he gave his life for us,” the Archbishop said, “not just for some of us, but every man and woman who was ever born or ever will be born. No matter what countries we come from, or the language that we speak”
“That’s what ‘Catholic’ means,” Gomez explained: “It means ‘universal’, ‘international’, ‘worldwide’. It means no-one is left behind or left out. It means all of us are children of God, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of our Father in heaven. This is the beautiful vision of the Gospel.”
Mexican bishops: ‘We are all brothers and sisters’
In a released on the 10th June, the Episcopal Conference of Mexico said that they were following the “complicated situation” in Los Angeles with “pain and concern”.
Referencing an earlier statement by LA’s Archbishop Gomez, the Mexican bishops said that “although some undocumented migrants commit criminal acts, not all undocumented migrants are criminals”.
“Furthermore,” the bishops said, “the vast majority of undocumented migrants contribute to the good of the communities in which they live and work”.
The Episcopal Conference called for decisions to be made “for the good of all”, including a reform of the immigration system, and cited the Book of Numbers’ command that “There must be no distinction between the foreigner and you".
The statement from Mexican bishops concluded with a prayer that God might “help us to understand that we are all brothers and sisters, and to build a better world together”.
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