Jose Gomez, the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archbishop, along with a number of other officials from the Catholic Church in California, took time out from their Sacramento retreat yesterday to urge Congress not to slacken the momentum for changes to the immigration laws in the United States.
Gomez told reporters that a reform of the US immigration laws was something that was long overdue. Joined by several state bishops and by San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cardileone, Gomez asked Congress not to delay any passing of the new immigration bill, pointing out that the bipartisan package of legislation that has been put together provides immigrant families with hope for a future in which they could all stay together.
“It is not about politics for us,” Gomez says. “It is about people. It is about human rights and human dignity.” Church officials urged Congress not to delay the hearings on immigration reform due to the distraction of the Boston bombers being immigrants.
Cordiolene said that in their opinion the reform efforts should continue and that this is the right time for it to happen, and that such an opportunity should not be derailed by the tragedy. In Gomez’s opinion, Congress passing the measure would honor Cesar Chavez’s legacy, the man whose “love for God led him to fight for justice for migrant workers.” Gomez says that the current immigration system is broken and is destroying the spirits of many people and destroying families.