News

Political Padre: Raymundo Chávez Vázquez and Illegal Immigration

Continued from page 4

After CPS took custody of Juana's newborn, the couple turned to Santa Teresa for help. García Alonzo and Father Raymundo helped them find a lawyer and get into counseling with a Spanish-­speaking psychologist. García Alonzo says that the couple probably misread the label on the prescription and gave the child too much of the medicine, which contained codeine.

García Alonzo thinks it was a misunderstanding that could have been avoided had there been more communication between the clinic, the hospital and the couple. After months of court dates and counseling sessions, it appears that Pedro and Juana's two youngest children will be returned to them. A court has ordered CPS to transition the children back to their home within six weeks.

The couple isn't sure they could have made it through the ordeal without the help of Santa Teresa's. The parish played an instrumental role in getting the children into the custody of family friends who allow the parents to visit the children as much as they want.

Father Raymundo has paid a price for sticking up for immigrants like Pedro and Juana. He says that his life has been threatened twice, both times by Mexican-­Americans. One time, a pickup swerved to hit him on the street. "They told me to go back to Mexico with the rest of the 'wetbacks,'" he says.

That's when he learned to be proud of the term. "I'm proud of being called a wetback because everyone knows that we wetbacks work as hard as anyone else in this country."
_____________________

It's a Sunday night and Father Raymundo is getting ready for his weekly radio show, La Voz Católica, an hour-long program co­hosted with a Texas A&M Spanish professor who goes by the name of El Maestro. This is Father Raymundo's time to extend his influence beyond the church and to take calls from the Hispanic community. Each week, he examines a different topic. Sometimes it's a pretty basic explanation of Catholic dogma, but sometimes the issues aren't so black and white.

"We talk about everything on the show," he says. "It's all on the table. We talk about condoms. What does the word of God say about condoms? We talk about homosexuality. What does the word of God say about homosexuality?"

And what, exactly, does the word of God say about gays? Well, here things get complicated. Father Raymundo wants his listeners to condemn homophobia, which he thinks is a serious problem in the Latino community. He wants them to reject machismo in all its forms. He thinks the church should welcome gays with open arms. But, he says, "according to the Church, homosexuality is wrong. The Church is very clear about it. The church invites the homosexual to not practice his or her sexuality."

He treads a fine line on other issues as well. He calls himself a feminist but opposes women entering the priesthood.

On this particular Sunday, Father Raymundo's guest on the show is the new police chief of Bryan, Ty Morrow. He's the first black police chief in Bryan's history and, like Father Raymundo, he's having to learn on the fly.

When they take to the airwaves, Father Raymundo pushes Morrow to explain how and why an immigrant can get de­ported. They communicate through a couple of translators and the conversation is sometimes awkward. The Chief seems a little nervous and assures him that immigrants won't be deported for traffic violations. Still, at one point, Morrow tells Father Raymundo that immigrants who get arrested should put the matter "in the Lord's hands and pray to God" that they don't get deported.

Father Raymundo makes a few jokes at the Chief's expense, saying that he has to learn to eat really spicy mole if he wants to get along with the Latino community.

Afterwards, García Alonzo appears a little flustered that Father Raymundo didn't challenge Morrow's answers. She wanted the Chief to explain why the police often classify random groups of young Latino men as a gang. She confronts the Chief after the show. The Chief defends his department's tactics, but also promises to work on communication between the police department and the Latino ­community.

"If we want things to improve," he says, "I need you to talk to me. I need to know what issues affect your community." He gives out a direct number to his desk on the air and invites listeners to call him.

García Alonzo and Father Raymundo often clash on church teachings on other issues. He supports protests of Planned Parenthood and preaches against abortion on the radio. This frustrates García Alonzo, who volunteers full-time for the church but is pro-choice. Father Raymundo calls their relationship "amor apache," which might best be translated as "tough love." "She's very sincere," Father Raymundo says. "Sometimes we clash, but we love each other."

When the immigration debate heated up in the spring of 2006, Father Raymundo and García Alonzo planned another protest. At the time, Congress was considering a provision of immigration reform that would have made it a crime to provide aid to an illegal immigrant. Protestors in big cities waved Mexican flags and carried pro-Mexico banners. In Bryan, Latino community groups wanted marchers to wear American colors and carry American flags.

"Father Raymundo settled it," García Alonzo says. He declared that there would be no Mexican or American flags at their march. Every single person would be dressed in white.

According to García Alonzo, city officials in Bryan weren't impressed with Father Raymundo's diplomacy. They wouldn't let protestors use central streets. García Alonzo says that they were told that Main Street was only "for the taxpayers." They were routed through residential streets before they rallied at city hall.

Father Raymundo says he sent notices to dozens of churches and only a few were even acknowledged. A few pastors privately voiced their support but thought it was too risky to join a protest. A few other pastors — including two Catholic priests — joined the protest, but most religious leaders simply ignored him.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
Next Page »