Archbishop Gomez

Our prayers are with the new Archbishop of the largest diocese in the country and this article from California Catholic News examines the change.

An excerpt.

“Orthodox Catholics are waiting to see what changes will occur in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles now that leadership has officially passed to Archbishop Jose Gomez, who was ordained a priest of Opus Dei more than 30 years ago.

“Pope Benedict XVI has “accepted the resignation from the archdiocese of Los Angeles, U.S.A., presented by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, upon having reached the age limit,” noted a brief March 1 announcement by the Vatican Information Service. “He is succeeded by Coadjutor Archbishop Jose H. Gomez.”

“Before a crowd of 3,500 faithful at Los Angeles' Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Cardinal Mahony ceremonially passed on his crozier to Archbishop Gomez, investing him with the traditional staff that symbolizes the leadership of the local bishop,” reported CNA/EWTN News. “On that same day, his 75th birthday, the cardinal submitted his resignation in a faxed letter to Pope Benedict XVI.”

“Archbishop Gomez will celebrate his inaugural Mass as Archbishop of Los Angeles on Sunday, March 6.

“‘LA is home for me now,’ the Mexican-born archbishop told the cardinal and the assembled worshipers at a Mass marking the transition of leadership on Feb. 27,” reported CNA/EWTN News. “‘I pray that I will be worthy of continuing the work that you have begun here.’”

“In a report by Benjamin Mann, CNA/EWTWN said, “At the transition Mass, Archbishop Gomez graciously thanked the cardinal for his leadership of the archdiocese over the course of 26 years. Cardinal Mahony's legacy, he said, is ‘a Church that radiates the love of God and the truth of the Gospel.’”

“As the largest archdiocese in the country, Los Angeles is home to more than 5 million Catholics, 70 percent of whom are Hispanic,” said the report. “Archbishop Gomez, who was born in the Mexican city of Monterrey and later became a U.S. citizen, will be the first Hispanic Archbishop of Los Angeles.”

“Orthodox Catholics are waiting to see if Archbishop Gomez will bring the same style of leadership to Los Angeles he showed during his tenure as Archbishop of San Antonio, where he had served since 2005 before being named coadjutor of Los Angeles in April 2010. While in San Antonio, Archbishop Gomez distinguished himself as a theologically solid Catholic leader unafraid to step into controversy whenever the need arose.”