Archbishop: Government frustrates pastoral care for child migrants

U.S. authorities are working poorly with Catholic efforts to provide pastoral care to underage immigrants detained near Los Angeles, the city’s archbishop, Jose Gomez, wrote on Thursday.

“Our Church has been trying to respond to this situation in a spirit of cooperation and generosity,” Archbishop Gomez said in his July 10 column at The Tidings.

A time for tenderness and hospitality

The immigration “issue” is not going away because immigration is more than a political issue. Every day we hear new stories of personal tragedy and families who are suffering because of our broken immigration system.

Immigration reform issue brings about local, regional action

The battle for comprehensive immigration reform took on a more urgent and in some cases heated tone in recent days with several rallies and assemblies drawing support and opposition.

‘An example of Christian life’: Mass welcomes saint’s relic

Rosa Gonzalez clearly recalls how, when her father Jesús Mercado hosted family gatherings at his home in Jalisco, Mexico, they would always start with a private Mass. It was the 1930s, the time of the Cristero War, when Catholics were persecuted by the Mexican government.

Canines to Invade the Cathedral

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – Normally the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a place for religious worship. On one evening this week, it’s a place for barking and socializing.

After the Hobby Lobby case

The U.S. Supreme Court made a good decision this week in recognizing that Hobby Lobby’s owners can follow their religious beliefs and conscience in running their family business.

The court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. was narrow and specific to smaller, family-held businesses.

Holiness is our daily task

Holiness is the heart of our relationship with Jesus and holiness is the heart of our mission as Christians.

We need a new conversation about religion in American life

Last week at the annual Spring meeting of the United States Catholic bishops, my brother bishops and I voted unanimously to continue our “ad hoc” Committee for Religious Liberty for another three years.

Jersey Vargas stays the course for immigration reform

For 10-year-old Jersey Vargas, her four siblings and her parents, Teodula and Mario — a humble immigrant family living in the Los Angeles area — the last three months have been a blur, from Jersey’s rare opportunity to meet Pope Francis, to Mario’s long-awaited release from an ICE detention center, to the whirlwind of media attention that followed their heartfelt family reunion.