Church role seen in mobilizing Hispanics after immigration marches

Published: 2006-06-08

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Catholic Church can play an important role in mobilizing Hispanics to increase their influence on public policy, said several speakers at a Washington symposium examining Hispanic participation in U.S. political life. On the local level, priests can promote civic involvement and church organizations can sponsor courses in English as a second language, said Rodolfo de la Garza, law professor at Columbia University in New York. "There is a crying need in the Hispanic community for that help," said de la Garza, who has written books on Hispanic politics in the U.S. Robert de Posada, president of the Latino Coalition, said that the church "has the moral authority to make things happen." In the heavily Catholic Hispanic community, "when people need help, they first turn to their family, then to the church and then to the government," he said. Both men were interviewed by Catholic News Service while they were attending a June 7 symposium on Latino participation in U.S. politics after the series of rallies calling for immigration reform held earlier in the year. The symposium was organized by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, an independent social research center specializing in Hispanic issues. It is based at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

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