More than a dozen Catholic parishioners, former Austin Mayor Gus
Garcia and local activists protested Bishop Joe Vasquez's decision this
week to move a public meeting about immigration from Cristo Rey Church
to the A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center because a congressman
speaking at the meeting is a supporter of abortion rights.
Saturday's
scheduled speakers at the public meeting about immigrant rights, which
organizers say has been planned for three weeks, include U.S. Rep. Luis
Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat.
Christian Gonzalez, a spokesman for
the diocese, said that the meeting was moved because of Gutierrez's
record of voting in favor of abortion rights legislation, which is in
direct contradiction with Catholic teaching and policies.
The
decision echoed Vasquez's September cancellation of Yom Kippur services
at St. Louis Catholic Church because Rabbi Alan Freedman with Temple
Beth Shalom served on the board of the local Planned Parenthood .
Gonzalez said the bishop was out of town Thursday and unavailable for
comment.
"The meeting is not being changed because the bishop has
changed his stance on immigration," Gonzalez said, noting that Vasquez
was one of nine bishops who participated in an advocacy day to express
their support for issues like immigration reform and anti-abortion
legislation at the Capitol on Wednesday.
"The issue is that Gutierrez
has consistently voted in favor of pro-choice issues, and as the
Catholic Church, we cannot support that."
Emilio Zamora, one of
the organizers for the Saturday event, was among more than a dozen
people who held signs and read from prepared statements outside of the
front door of the diocese.
Zamora said that the short notice of the move
was "arbitrary and harmful to the immigrant community."
He and
others said that they were dismayed that the message was transmitted
through Monsignor Mike Sis, who informed one of the organizers this week
of the decision.
"We don't know why he does this," Zamora said,
referring to Vasquez.
"We think it's capricious and disappointing,
because immigrants are contributing to the growth of the Catholic
Church. They should at least give us the courtesy of giving us enough
notice."
Blanca Garcia, a parishioner at Cristo Rey Church, said
that she was particularly dismayed at what she called a distinctly
un-Christian move during the holy season of Lent.
"I'm saddened that
during our holy season, our leader, who is supposed to be our shepherd,
is acting against everything Christians teach."
Gonzalez said that
Sis spoke with members of the meeting's organizing committee and agreed
to pay the costs of moving the meeting's venue from Cristo Rey to the
recreation center.