Vatican: Leo XIV receives the Archbishop of Los Angeles, in the midst of the immigrant crisis in the US.

Pope Leo XIV received this Friday, August 1 to the Archbishop of Los Angeles, California (United States), Mons. José Gomez, amid the concern for the situation of immigrants in the United States, many of whom fear now being deported.

The Press Office of Vatican He reported the meeting without giving more details, specifying that the prelate of Mexican origin was accompanied by Mons. Kevin William Vann, Orange Bishop, California.

“What a joy to meet our Holy Father! Pope Leo XIV @pontifex expressed concern about the situation of immigrants in our country and was excited when I told him the good news of @lacatholics,” the Archbishop wrote in his social networks.

Mons. Gomez indicated that this news is “new vocations, our communication and evangelization initiatives, all energy and creativity in our parishes, schools and other ministries. Our Holy Father said he is praying for all of us, and I assured him that we will continue to pray. ‘All with Peter to Jesus for Mary!’”.

The “monarch virgin”, protector of migrants

Asked by ACI Press, Yannina Díaz of the Communications Department of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, reported a painting that Mons. Gomez presented Pope León.

Lalo García is the author of the painting entitled “Virgen Monarca”, a painting 40 centimeters long by 30 wide, in which, according to García, the Virgin of Guadalupe is represented “protecting the monarch butterflies, (universal symbol of the resurrection and symbol of migration) as a mother protects her own children.”

“Among the butterflies, we can appreciate one, in the form of a flower, yes, the flower of four petals, (Ollin) the one that the Aztecs identified as a symbol of a new cycle, a new life, symbol of the child Jesus who was in the belly of our mother Guadalupana and that, therefore, they accepted that she was the true mother of our creator,” adds the author in a description shared in a description shared.

“Day by day, thousands of people and whole families cross the borders risking their lives, in search of a better future. And we can say that, if not all, most, especially Mexicans, entrust themselves to the protection and blessing of our Virgin of Guadalupe, so that their journey is the least risky and establish themselves in a new place,” says Garcia.

The meeting of Pope Leo XIV takes place after Tuesday, July 29, the United States Government, through the United States Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE, for its initials in English), launched a campaign to recruit “brave and heroic American” that work as new agents, lawyers and deportation researchers.

According to the newspaper Los Angeles TimesThis occurs when the Trump administration seeks to expand immigration laws with new funds approved by Congress.