Latino Archbishop for Los Angeles

I again interrupt the blogging on pro-birth and pro-life with a news report that is being received with much pride among Latinos. Archbishop José Gomez of San Antonio has been named Bishop Co-Adjutor for Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Diocese of Los Angeles (Roman Catholic). Since this is the largest Local Church in North America, many are commenting that the appointment signals Pope Benedict XVI’s recognition that the future of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States is heavily in the hands of Latinos.

VATICAN CITY — Archbishop José Gomez was named Tuesday to succeed the archbishop of Los Angeles, the Holy See’s most significant acknowledgment to date of the growing importance of Latinos in the American church.

The appointment is also evidence that Pope Benedict XVI wants a strong defender of orthodoxy leading the largest diocese in the nation: Gomez, 58, is an archbishop of Opus Dei, the conservative movement favored by the Vatican.

The Mexican-born Gomez was named coadjutor for Los Angeles, which means he will take over the archdiocese when the current archbishop, Cardinal Roger Mahony retires on Feb. 27 next year, his 75th birthday.

The appointment of Gomez, who now leads the Archdiocese of San Antonio, puts him in line to become the highest-ranking Latino in the American Catholic hierarchy and the first Latino cardinal in the U.S.

Hispanics comprise 70 percent of the 5 million Catholics in the Los Angeles archdiocese, and more than one-third of the 65 million Catholics in the United States.

As the news release from the Vatican points out, more than 1/3 of all Roman Catholics in the United States are now Latino. Note that Archbishop José was not even born in the United States but was born in Mexico. There is a growing recognition at the Vatican that the fractured American Church may find its unity in the growing Latino segment. But, this will also present a challenge for the traditional liberal/conservative Roman Catholic split found in the USA.

You see, in Latin America, Mexican Roman Catholics are among the most conservative as a group. But, one has to define what conservative means. Conservative among Mexicans means a strong piety towards the Virgin Mary. After all, Mexico is where the Virgin of Guadalupe’s sanctuary is found and where her apparitions were reported. Despite what behaviors may be cited, it also means a strong leaning towards classical Roman Catholic morality. But, Mexicans are not social conservatives. Rather, they are social progressives, as are most Latin Americans. Thus, Mexicans, and most Latin Americans (with the clear exception of Cubans) will not fit into either liberal Roman Catholicism, nor will they fit into a “Tea Party” type of movement.

American Roman Catholicism has been divided between liberal Roman Catholics, who will countenance “choice” but are generally pro-healthcare system adjustments and against the invasion of Iraq, and conservative Roman Catholics who are pro-birth, but generally anti-healthcare system adjustments and for the invasion of Iraq. Yes, this is a strong generalization, but it is generally accurate. But, Mexican Roman Catholics will generally be pro-birth, pro-healthcare adjustments, and anti-Iraq invasion. That is, they do not fit into what many in the USA consider as unshakable differences. Rather, they do not fully fit into either division commonly found in the USA. As the percentage of Latinos grows in the Roman Catholic Church in the USA, I fully expect that both “liberal” and “conservative” Roman Catholics will find themselves very uncomfortable.

There are going to be some interesting decades in the future! What it probably does mean for the future is that neither Georgetown University nor the Roman Catholic wing of the Tea Party Movement will be able to call themselves spokesmen for vast sections of Roman Catholicism in the USA in the future. That may actually be rather nice.