DAVID CRARY and REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press
BALTIMORE (AP) — Archbishop José Gómez of Los Angeles, an immigrant from Mexico, pledged to push for a more welcoming immigration system after winning election Tuesday as the first Hispanic to head the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"I'm humbled by your support," said Gómez, whose predominantly Hispanic archdiocese of 4 million Catholics is the largest in the U.S. "I think it is a blessing for the Latino community."
The issue of immigration is personal to Gómez, who has relatives and friends on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. He described the situation at the border as a "tragedy" and said he witnessed the "suffering of the people there" during visits to south Texas cities last year.
"It's an essential cause," he s
