Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez to discuss timely political, cultural, and religious issue
Catholic University's Office of Campus Ministry will host a talk by Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez on immigration on Thursday, March 23. He will speak at a CUA on Tap event in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center Great Rooms at 7:30pm.
Archbishop Gomez has played an essential role in the Catholic Church's efforts to develop immigration reform. He wrote the 2013 book Immigration and the Next America: Renewing the Soul of Our Nation. In addition to being archbishop of the nation's largest Catholic archdiocese, he is also the vice president of the United States Conference for Catholic Bishops.
"For decades the plight of refugees and immigrants who cross the U.S. southern border has been monopolized by economic considerations and political wrangling," says Rev. Jude DeAngelo, University chaplain. "To help our students understand the Christian's personal responsibility and response to this human crisis, we are blessed to hear Archbishop Gomez teach about the Church's role in protecting the human rights of every person in the midst of the on-going national debate."
Because of the archbishop's busy schedule, Natalia Rincon, a senior psychology major from Freeport, N.Y., has been trying to schedule him as a speaker for the CUA on Tap series for more than a year.
"People on campus should have an opportunity to hear his views on immigration," Rincon said. "Immigration is also a topic that is very close to my heart. Since my parents are immigrants, it is something I am very passionate about."
In January, together with Cardinal Daniel Dinardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the USCCB, Archbishop Gomez issued the following statement on migration:
"This year, we are invited to create a culture of encounter where citizens old and new, alongside immigrants recent and longstanding, can share with one another their hopes for a better life. ... Migration is, more than anything, an act of great hope. ... As Catholics in the United States, most of us can find stories in our own families of parents, grandparents or great-grandparents leaving the old country for the promise of America."
Archbishop Gomez is a papal appointee to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and is a founding member of the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders and ENDOW (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women). He is a native of Monterrey, Mexico, and a naturalized U.S. citizen.
MEDIA: For more information, an interview, or to attend this event, media should contact the Office of Marketing and Communications at communications@cua.edu or 202-319-5600.
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