On Cardinal Roger Mahony

Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles recently made the headlines with his opposition to the Sensenbrenner bill and his instructions to priests under his jurisdictions to disobey any prohibitions againts helping undocumented immigrants in need.  The Financial Times (Apr. 8, p.3) has an interesting story about Mahony and his background.  Among other items of interests, the story mentions that “in the 1960s [Mahoney] was a lowly rural priest at the side of Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United farmworkers’ union and a labour movement hero.”  Chavez and the UFW, like many labor unions, had a checkered history on the topic of immigration but eventually came around to the view that undocumented workers, like all other workers, must be organized; the UFW stopped supporting efforts to deport the undocumented from the United States.

Cardinal Mahony was a good student.  Viva Cesar!

Thanks to Joel Dobris, who sends me immigration stories of all types.

KJ