Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on March 26, 2013

"I'm worried we are losing something of our national soul" Los Angeles, March 26, 2013 (Zenit.org) | 102 hits

Here is the text of an address given last week by Los Angeles' Archbishop Jos Gomez to the American Jewish Committee at the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel in Los Angeles.

The title of the talk was "'The Heart of a Stranger': The Task for Religious Believers in Immigration Reform."

Archbishop Gomez is the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration.

* * *

Greetings my friends! Saludos mis amigos! Shalom!

It's a joy for me to be here. Thank you for your kind invitation. I've been looking forward to this evening.

As you know this has been an exciting, historic time for those of us who are Catholics. At the end of last month our Pope, Benedict XVI, resigned. That's the first time a Pope has stepped down in 600 years. Then last week, the College of Cardinals elected a new Pope, Pope Francis, who is an Argentinian. He is the first non-European Pope in almost 1,300 years and the first Pope ever from the Americas.

I think our new Pope is a fascinating man I don't know him very well but he is the son of immigrants and is a humble and holy priest with a deep love for the poor. I think he is going to be a good spiritual leader for the Church and a strong moral leader in the international community promoting justice and the dignity of the human person.

I also think you are going to find that this new Pope will be a good and faithful friend to the Jewish people. This is clear already from his record in Argentina. He has a long history of standing in solidarity with the Jewish community and he has long been active in interfaith dialogues and prayer.

Go here to see the original:
Archbishop Gomez's Address to Jewish Leaders on Immigration Reform

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
Tags: