 CALL Newsletter: April 6, 2010 Special announcement Pope Benedict XVI announced today the appointment of CALL's founder, Archbishop José H. Gomez of San Antonio, as Co-Adjudicator of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. As Co-Adjudicator, Archbishop Gomez will relocate to Los Angeles in May and will be next in line to lead the archdiocese upon the retirement of Cardinal Roger Mahony next year, becoming the sixth archbishop of Los Angeles.
"This is a breakthrough moment for our Church and for Hispanic Catholics," said Mario J. Paredes, Chairman of CALL. "We congratulate the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and we ask all CALL members to offer their prayers for Archbishop Gomez as he begins his new ministry in California."
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles covers 8,762 square miles and has a total Roman Catholic population of 4.4 million people in three counties. There are 288 parishes in 120 cities with 278 Catholic elementary and high schools serving 95,000 children, making it one of the three largest school systems in all of California.
Archbishop Gomez (pictured) was ordained a priest in 1978 and became an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Denver in 2001. He was appointed Archbishop of San Antonio in 2005.
"It is important to recognize the context within which we consider Archbishop Gomez's appointment as a Hispanic prelate," said CALL president and CEO Robert B. Aguirre. "Hispanics account for 71% of the growth of the U.S. Catholic Church since 1960 and, today, of the Catholics who are 25 years of age and younger, 50% are Hispanic. His appointment today is recognition by the Holy Father of the evolving pastoral needs of the faithful in the U.S."
Pope Benedict XVI made the announcement at noon today, while a delegation of 59 people from CALL were at the Vatican preparing to meet with members of the curia on issues related to Hispanic Catholics.
CALL is the only national Catholic lay leadership organization in the U.S. dedicated to promoting the common good of our Church and country. It was established on the premise that it is the particular vocation of the laity to transform our world through "faithful citizenship," and we do this by finding new and culturally relevant ways to preserve and promote the values of our faith - especially within the historical context that Hispanics were the first American Catholics. To visit our Web site, click here. To make a donation, click here.
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