Good news for the American Church!

Earlier this week, I was most excited and energized to see that Archbishop Jose Gomez, the Archbishop of San Antonio, formerly also a bishop in Denver, was named as Archbishop of Los Angeles. He's the "coadjutor" which means that he'll have a "training time" until next February, when the current Archbishop, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, retires. Why do I find this to be such good news? Because Archbishop Gomez is a wonderful, spiritual man, a member of Opus Dei (which means the Work of God), and he is just perfect for LA. He's conservative, for starters, which will just irritate the liberals in LA, but Hispanics in this largely Hispanic population are reported to be delighted at his appointment. He is in line to become a Cardinal, for sure. I think this shows the concern that the Holy Father has for the Hispanics in LA, and that, similar to appointing the conservative Archbishop Tim Dolan to New York, the Church is being steered in a conservative direction.

I was on retreat with a group from the diocese when Cardinal Ratzinger was named as the new Holy Father, and some of the reaction was dismay, some were elated. He has proven to be a steady hand on the help of the Church, belaying some of the fears of the liberals, and I believe that Archbishop Gomez will similarly be a steady hand. When he was a visiting bishop to Cheyenne, I felt privileged to receive communion from him and I think he is in a unique position to be both an inspiration to the Hispanic population, and also guide the Archdiocese of LA when it really needs good guidance.