The assimilation process is but a distant memory in southern California, as evidenced by the joy regarding the news that pro-amnesty-Archbishop Roger Mahony (and pedophile protector) will be replaced by a real Mexican, born in Monterrey.

Naturally, the local Mexicans are thrilled, because the new guy is “one of us” (not an annoying American), and la Times reports it all cheerfully. Jose Gomez himself seems sent by central casting, so perfect is he with warm and trendy baloney, for example remarking, “Thank God for our diversity.”

The current Archbishop of Los Angeles, Roger Mahony, wears Mexi-themed cassock in the photo below, in order to pander to, er honor his many Mexican parishioners. But some don’t even respect him enough to use his real name, as noted in the article following. They prefer a genuine Mexican, not a dress-up model.

St. Michael Catholic Church of south LA was all abuzz…

Latino immigrants proud that L.A.’s next archbishop is ‘one of us’, Los Angeles Times, April 8, 2010

Word was just circulating that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles would soon have a new leader — Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio, Mexican-born, like most of these parishioners — replacing Cardinal Roger Mahony, set to retire next year after a quarter-century guiding his hometown see.

A pervasive sense of pride, even elation, greeted the news that a compatriot would become the heir apparent.

“Of course it makes you feel good. He’s one of us; he understands us,” said Juan Bramusco, 60, originally from Mexico’s Zacatecas state.

Many agreed that such an appointment was long overdue in an archdiocese that is now 70% Latino. But Humberto Magallanes, another volunteer, voiced a common refrain.

“The new bishop is going to have some big shoes to fill,” said Magallanes, 29, a construction worker. “Cardinal Rogelio Mahony has fought for immigrants as much as anyone.”

The scene, in miniature, captured much of the mood in Latino-dominated Catholic churches in Southern California as the leadership transition began to unfold in the nation’s most populous archdiocese.

The appointment of Gomez, poised to become the country’s highest-ranking Latino cleric, represents a watershed changing of the guard in the U.S. church, which is headed toward a Latino majority in coming years.

“It’s a recognition of the numbers, basically,” said a delighted Msgr. David O’Connell, pastor of St. Michael, as he directed parishioners to the various events Tuesday evening.

The sex-abuse scandals that have battered the church’s global image don’t seem to have deflated attendance at St. Michael and other Southern California parishes brimming with new Latino immigrants championed by Mahony and his like-minded priests.

“There’s a real contrast for us these days between what’s happening in these parishes and what’s happening in the church at large with all the scandals,” said O’Connell, a white-haired native of Ireland who has served more than three decades in Southern California. “The church is having a difficult time. But at the parish level we are experiencing this whole new vitality and energy.”

Many parishioners spoke of a sense of belonging in a world that can often feel threatening, especially for those in the country illegally, as is the case for many at St. Michael.

“In Latin America, we rely on a sense of family, but this country can be very cold sometimes, intimidating,” said Leopoldo Rivas, 36, who was attending a meeting for married couples at St. Michael with his wife, Beatriz. “Here at the church we feel we are part of a family.”

Right, America is cold and intimidating because law-abiding citizens are sick of hostile foreigners who come to steal honest people’s jobs.

The Mission Blog (apparently a project of the San Francisco Chronicle) is a major celebrator of all things illegal alien, particularly Mexican.

A recent item was a first-hand account of riding the bus from San Francisco to Washington for the big amnesty fiesta on Sunday. Golly, I wonder who shows up as the welcoming committees on the road trip?

Every place we stop - Oakland, Sac and Reno - priests greet us. Most riders seem very religiously engaged. On the Bus for Immigrant Rights: Day 1 [3/19/10]

I guess the anti-borders Catholics haven’t heard the good news of immigration sanity from our beloved Father Pat: Father Bascio on the immorality of illegal immigration.

Back on the bus…

The 53 bus seats are occupied with activists of all ages from across California. Julio Salgado, came from Santa Barbara and drove to Sacramento to pick up the bus. Oscar Mangandid, a 20-year-old City College student, from the Mission. At each stop, new people board.

Many riders spend the time preparing their testimony for Washington where they hope to impress on Congress the importance of legislation to legalize the country’s more than 11 million undocumented immigrants.

The biggest news of the day is that Senator Barbara Boxer has agreed to meet with folks from PICO, a national network of faith-based organizations. She had previously refused to, according to Fernando from PICO. He credits her change of mind to the actions of activists in San Francisco.

Otherwise, the talk on the bus is all about immigration. The couple next to me discuss the Irish, once undocumented and now influential.

Ahem, the only “undocumented” Irish are the current ones who are annoying beyond their relatively low numbers because of their attitude of entitlement.

The social breakdown of congregations must be a great source of pain for many parishioners of churches that have embraced the dark side by supporting the illegal immigration of Mexicans who now fill the pews. The choice of the Catholic bishops to advocate amnesty falls hard on the citizens who have been the backbone of the churches. The change feels like a stab in the back, and it is, because the Catholic church uses its institutional power to promote Mexican culture against America, even openly supporting separatism.

What’s the point of attending a church where many don’t even speak English? A major aspect of being a church member is the fellowship with others who share your values. If all you want is a sermon, that’s available on television or the radio.

Many people living in modern societies — where increasing time is spent in individual activities — are starving for community. One indication was the surprising success of Robert Putnam’s 1995 book Bowling Alone with its message of the natural human desire for connection with others. Prof. Putnam later found that diversity decreases trust and reduces social capital, a finding which he downplayed in the service of multicultural ideology. Churches have been an oasis of community until diversity arrived.

Schism hits church, San Bernardino Sun, March 13, 2010

Elaine Cartwright has been a loyal parishioner at her Fontana church for 50-plus years.

Her three sons were altar boys there. All four of her kids received their First Communion and were confirmed there.

Her father donated the statue of Jesus that is placed on the left side of the sanctuary during Easter season.

She and her late husband contributed $1,000 to build the social hall.

But she doesn’t feel part of the church anymore.

As she tries to cope with the changing demographics, Cartwright said she feels out of place in a church where Spanish is now as common as English.

“My church isn’t my church anymore,” said Cartwright, a 72-year-old Fontana resident who attends Blessed John XXIII Parish.

Cartwright isn’t the only one opposed to the changes taking place in the Catholic Church. [...]

[Carolynn] DeJarnette said the loss of fellowship left her feeling cold and isolated.

“You used to go to the hall after church and have coffee and doughnuts,” DeJarnette said. “Now, you have menudo and tamales and everybody speaks Spanish. We used to have a church carnival to raise funds. Now, we have a fiesta.”

DeJarnette said she has nothing against Latinos, pointing out that two of her grandchildren are of Mexican descent.

Her problem is the church’s support for a new immigration policy that would allow illegal immigrants to become legal residents and earn a path to citizenship.

The Catholic Church has long been the leader of the misguided religious community in pursuing amnesty for lawbreaking illegal aliens. But the majority of parishioners don’t want it, as shown by the recent Zogby poll in which 64 percent of Catholics supported enforcement to encourage illegals to go home.

Besides, Jesus never said it was acceptable to harm one group in order to help another.

The Catholic church has long encouraged Mexican immigrants and illegal aliens to keep their home culture rather than assimilate to American society. The cassocked fellows may believe that Mexican equals Catholic, and that’s a good thing from their viewpoint.

Even though the church is given tax-exempt status (which requires it to keep its nose out of politics), it works purposefully to undermine the sovereignty of this country. It’s ungrateful behavior, to say the least.

Sadly, many of the Protestant churches are mindless anti-borders flunkies also, but since most Hispanics are Catholic, that church in particular sees open borders and increased Hispanic pew-fillers as a plus for their side. As a result, the cassock brigades are the big dogs leading the amnesty pack.

The story of the Virgin of Guadalupe is something of a foundation myth to Mexicans, so the festival celebration is a big deal.

[L.A. Latinos celebrate a patron saint and a culture, Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2009]

The Dec. 12 feast day holds special significance for Catholics of Mexican heritage.

Catholic tradition teaches that a peasant, Juan Diego, was walking over a hill called Tepeyac, a site linked to an ancient fertility goddess, when a brown-skinned woman appeared. She spoke in Nahuatl, language of the Aztecs, and asked that a church be built on the hill, which is near Mexico City.

For the faithful, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe is more than symbol, Estrada said. “It’s real,” he said. “It is like a person that gives you strength and courage.”

Furthermore, the church’s efforts are not just cultural but political. Our Lady Queen of Angels Church uses the occasion to promote its anti-American, pro-amnesty agenda.

The church has also been known for political activism. A sign outside the complex reads Madre sin fronteras — mother without borders — an allusion to immigration policy in the U.S.

The church uses each year’s feast day theme to convey a message, its priests said.

This year, they chose “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” They wanted to use the message to persuade illegal Latino immigrants to participate in the 2010 Census, Estrada said. “It’s important that everyone is counted,” the pastor said.

Estrada pointed to the plight of the poor and the undocumented in Los Angeles as reasons the story of the Virgin still resonates.

“These are the Juan Diegos,” Estrada said. “These are the poor and the people she really speaks to.

“Here in this church, it’s not purely religious. We don’t just say Mass and give confessions. We help organize people to treat themselves with dignity and express their culture.”

This church’s mission sounds suspiciously like Alinsky-style community organizing with a big dollop of Mexican self-esteem on top. It certainly bears little resemblance to spreading the gospel around Christmas, or at any other time.

Dancers mark the Virgin’s feast day at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church. “We celebrate as if it were in Mexico,” said Father Paschal Amagba, an associate pastor of the church. “When the people come here, they feel at home.”

One might imagine that the Catholic church would realize its moral authority was diminished after two decades of pedophile priest trials, which showed that church hierarchy had knowingly protected perverts who sexually abused children. Last summer for example, Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahony (a big friend of mass amnesty) was forced to pay $600 million to settle abuse cases.

But if anything, the arrogant leaders have become more insistent that the little people in the pews must obey their elite dictates or face dire consequences.

And apparently, congregants who vote for America’s lawful sovereignty against amnesty can expect to spend eternity in the Hot Zone, according to the Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Proclaiming a sense of new energy and empowerment, the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Wednesday issued instructions to Catholic voters that their eternal salvation could be at stake when they cast ballots. [...]

Voters are implored not to support abortion-rights political candidates but also advised that views on abortion should not be the sole factor. Catholics should also weigh church teaching on such moral issues as immigration, just war and poverty, bishops said.
[Catholic bishops say voters' souls at stake Chicago Tribune 11/15/07]

I downloaded the full report (amusingly titled “Faithful Citizenship” with pdf available here) to see whether the reporter might have gotten a little carried away with the verbiage about eternal damnation for incorrect voting. But page 16 says:

It is important to be clear that the political choices faced by citizens not only have an impact on general peace and prosperity but also may affect the individual’s salvation.

So, the Trib story did not overstate the threats — fascinating. I will be interested to see whether anyone pipes up to object.

Over the last few months of the struggle against amnesty, Archbishop Roger Mahony was quieter than usual. In previous amnesty battles, Mahony has been a major supporter of open borders. This year, not so much.

Photo: Archbishop Roger Mahony and Sen Kennedy push for illegal alien amnesty.

He has apparently been busy on another front — wrangling with lawyers to settle the huge pile of lawsuits against his diocese from victims of sexual abuse by predatory priests, the evil men whom Mahony protected for years by refusing to release relevant records.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will settle its clergy abuse cases for at least $600 million, by far the largest payout in the church’s sexual abuse scandal, The Associated Press learned Saturday.

Attorneys for the archdiocese and the plaintiffs are expected to announce the deal Monday, the day the first of more than 500 clergy abuse cases was scheduled for jury selection, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been made public. [...]

The Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders have paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims so far.
[LA archdiocese to pay $600M to settle abuse claims, San Francisco Chronicle 7/14/07]

Archbishop Mahony actively shielded a dozen pedophile priests and lied about at least one in court, actions which were included in the documentary film about priest sex crimes, Deliver Us from Evil.

Yet he has accused American citizens of being insufficiently moral for refusing to open US borders to his new parishioners (see Mahony Baloney).

On March 6, Lou Dobbs ran a clip of Mahony displaying his usual arrogance. Keep in mind that the Catholic hierarchy regard illegal immigration as a right for the poor, not a privilege allowed by the American people.

CARDINAL ROGER MAHONY, ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES: This is an issue about people, and the focus upon people who are our neighbors, people who live here in our United States who are contributing to our country. We simply cannot exclude them. We must find ways to bring them into the full light of our society.

Don’t miss a fascinating page of Roger Mahony quotes, e.g. “Our country stands at a critical point in its history. Our heritage as a nation of immigrants is at stake.”

Remember - this is the man who doesn’t want the shocking testimony of victims of predator priests to be heard in open court.

Church leaders in Los Angeles and elsewhere are constructing Elvira-villes (the opposite of Arpaiovilles) within their buildings as little illegal alien barrios in order to thwart the American justice system. After all, they’re the churchy guys, and they believe they know better than mere citizens.

Priests and pastors are basing their sob story strategy on the continuing church occupation of Elvira Arellano, the convicted felon who is avoiding arrest by lounging among the Methodist pews in Chicago.

But there’s not enough room in the inn, er church, for everyone who wants to avoid La Migra, so choices must be made. And churchies are choosing based on the sob stories with the highest sniffle value.

“We’re choosing them for their personal stories,” she said, “but we’re training them in how to respond to questions about their plights.”
[L.A. church offers migrants sanctuary, Los Angeles Times 3/23/07]

Nice they admit their objective is to manipulate the media rather than do misguided good works!

And also to end lawful enforcement of US immigration law: “We have to stop the raids,” stated priest Richard Estrada of Our Lady Queen of Angels in downtown LA.

Incidentally, the word “plight” in combination with “immigrant” can pull up some fascinating sob stories on Google and GoogleNews if you are an aficionado of such things.

Spreaking of amnesty Los Angeles style, check out the Mexico-celebrating outfit of the pedophile protector hypocrite Cardinal Roger Mahony.

A recent demographic study prepared by the California Catholic Conference noted with satisfaction the growing population, both numerically and percentage-wise, of Catholics in the state due to immigration.

The paper begins with a warning that “leading Catholic indicators” like attendance and contributions reveal “a church at risk” (not to mention the continuing problems with pedophile priests as reinforced by a new documentary film, “Deliver Us from Evil.“). But the increasing demand for Catholic services, as typified by the California growth due to immigrants, shows that there is still a future for the decrepit church. That’s why it’s seen as a “Boom” by the hierarchy, not an overpopulation problem [A Catholic Boom for the United States, Catholic Online, 6/26/06].

As debate continues over immigration policy in the United States, a side effect of the large inflow of people is a sharp increase in the Catholic population. The size of that increase is evident in a study released last Monday by the California Catholic Conference.

By 2025, Catholics are expected to comprise around 36% of California’s population, up from the current 30%, according to the report, “Planning for the Future of the California Catholic Church: A Demographic Study.” The percentage of Catholics nationwide is expected to be 23.7% by 2025. The growth in California Catholics is fueled by the increasing Hispanic presence. [...]

Catholic Latinos will likely increase to 40 million in 2025, more than triple the 13 million in 1990. Total growth in the U.S. Catholic population will amount to 29 million by 2025. Virtually all of the growth (26 million) will be due to the Hispanic population. Proportionally, their share of the Catholic population will double, to 48%, over the 35-year period.

Of course, immigration’s so-called “side effect” of additional Catholics is precisely why the Council of Bishops has been campaigning furiously for amnesty — more immigrants mean a larger market share with increased political clout and corresponding access to taxpayer money. Furthermore, the Catholic Church is pushing hard for open borders in America because it believes it will gain power now being lost in Europe as Europeans become more secular.

The level of demographic detail in the 65-page report is considerable, and shows that the Catholic Church is quite cognizant of the benefits for itself resulting from the demographic warfare it is promoting.

In addition, the Council of Bishops is calling on parishioners to harbor illegal aliens in their homes. Say, Cardinal Mahony could certainly make room for a couple dozen in his presumably sumptuous digs.

A recent “migration” conclave in El Paso was a perfect opportunity for open-borders Catholic priests to strut their stuff and sound off about “reform.” But that word has undergone something of a reversal in meaning when preceded by “immigration, ” and the Binational Migration Conference was no exception: Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., shamelessly promoted an amnesty for the millions of Hispanic illegal aliens who are filling the Catholic Church.

“The church in the United States is very, very Hispanic and what a blessing that is. They (Hispanic immigrants) come with the values that are so needed in the United States today. When there is a moral issue that concerns so many of our people, we have to speak,” McCarrick said, alternating between English and Spanish. “This is a special moment in the history of the Catholic church and the history of migration.”
[Immigration reform church goal, cardinal says ]

It’s the height of arrogance for the Church to say that the United States needs “values” from lawbreaking illegal aliens who come to steal American jobs using fraudulent identification and fake Social Security numbers. The Vaticrats continue to have a deaf ear and short attention span in this country: it was American courts and the press which finally revealed the ongoing priest pedophilia, which the holier-than-thou Catholic Church had covered up for decades.

In fact, the issue is market share, not the “moral concerns” mouthed by McCarrick. Catholic leadership wants more Hispanics to fill the pews emptied by American Catholics: since 1960 Hispanics have accounted for 71 percent of the growth in the U.S. Catholic Church. In Europe, however, it’s a different story because most immigrants are Muslim, and in Italy, Cardinal Biffi has recommended that Catholic immigrants be given preference, in order to protect Italy’s national identity.

Say, millions of Mexicans are hot to leave their homeland for “a better life and Europe would prefer Christian immigrants over unfriendly
Muslim ones — why doesn’t the UN or some billionaire open-borders crusader like George Soros create a migrant program that would be a win-win? Surely Parisians would love to smell the enchiladas of increased diversity there.