LA church's next leader follows line

Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) - Sunday, April 11, 2010
Author: Scott Gold, Jessica Garrison and Louis Sahagun, Tribune Newspapers

LOS ANGELES -- When Archbishop Jose Gomez introduced himself to the faithful Tuesday morning, he described Los Angeles as "the global face of the Catholic Church." He might as well have been talking about himself.

Gomez, 58, who will succeed Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, is a reflection of the future of American Catholicism. Born in northern Mexico, now an American citizen, he is one of the millions of Latinos who will make up the majority of U.S. Catholics within the next 10 years.

And like so many of those Latinos, he is at once a conservative and a progressive -- unyielding in his opposition to abortion and gay marriage, passionate in his advocacy for immigrants and the poor.

During his six-year tenure atop the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas, Gomez emerged as a leading advocate for doctrinal conformity, determined to stave off what he saw as a creeping secularism.

Posted By: Ayanna Spikes

Edition: FINAL
Section: A SECTION
Page: A14
Record Number: 1004100064
Copyright 2010 Sentinel Communications Co.

LA church's next leader follows line
Gold, Scott. "LA church's next leader follows line." Orlando Sentinel, The (FL) 11 Apr. 2010, FINAL, A SECTION: A14. NewsBank. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.