Church in Mexico hails election of Archbishop Gomez as USCCB president

Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico, Nov 14, 2019 / 19:01 pm

Bishop Alfonso Gerardo Miranda Guardiola, auxiliary bishop of Monterrey, has welcomed the election of Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles as president of the US bishops' conference, calling it an "eloquent sign" for migrants.

Archbishop Gomez was elected president of the USCCB Nov. 12 during the US bishops' plenary assembly.
 
Bishop Miranda, the secretary general of the Mexican bishops' conference, told ACI Prensa that on communicating Gomez' election to the Mexican bishops, "the reaction was one of applause, joy and emotion on receiving the news about Archbishop José Gomez as president of the American bishops' conference. Afterwards bishops even came up to me and told me they were very happy with this news."

The Mexican bishops are holding their plenary assembly Nov. 11-14 in Cuautitlán Izcalli.

Bishop Miranda said that "the entire conference rejoiced with this distinction given to a compatriot, a brother, and in my case, someone from my hometown."

The Mexican prelate highlighted that the relationship between the Mexican bishops' conference and Archbishop Gomez "has been extremely close."

He also noted that Archbishop Gomez has helped the Church in Mexico with the organization of the First National Meeting on the Protection of Minors, to be held in March 2020.

Bishop Miranda said the Mexican bishops "are very grateful for that," and emphasized that the election of Archbishop Gomez "is a gesture, is a sign, in multiple ways, toward immigrants, toward Mexicans."

"It's a distinction, a gesture … of the importance they are giving to the Hispanic community," he said.

Gomez, 67, is the first Latino to lead the US bishops' conference. He is also the first immigrant at the conference helm.

He was ordained a priest of Opus Dei in 1978, and in 2001 was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Denver. He was appointed Archbishop of San Antonio in 2004, and Coadjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles in 2010, succeeding as ordinary the following year.