Photo by Leslie Berestein Rojas/KPCC
Cardinal Roger Mahony speaks at a rally in support of the Dream Act in downtown Los Angeles, December 2010
Last month, as Cardinal Roger Mahony prepared to pass along the leadership of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to Archbishop Jose Gomez this coming Sunday, L.A.’s current Catholic leader – and perhaps its top clergyman-blogger – posted a lengthy piece titled “Retirement Plans: Standing with the Eleven Million.”
In it, Mahony wrote about continuing his activism on immigration reform. From the post:
Over these many years, I have been constantly called and challenged by the words of Jesus: “For I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35), echoing God’s mandate to his people in the Old Testament.
Over the years immigrant peoples have become very dear to me, and Jesus continues to call me to walk with them on their journey. I intend to spend the coming months and years walking in solidarity with the 11,000,000 immigrants who have come to the United States to improve their own lives and the life of our country and to advocate on behalf of the silent millions. In a special way I look forward to collaborating closely with our United States Bishops’ Conference and the Committee on Migration and Refugees which is now chaired by the next Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Most Reverend José H. Gomez.
