Rome, Italy, Jul 4, 2011 / 04:44 am
The Fourth of July is an opportunity to reflect on the American founders’ “Christian vision” of the human person and the influence of Spanish missionaries in bringing Christianity to the land, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles said in a call for a new evangelization.
“Although it was founded by Christians, America has become home to an amazing diversity of cultures, religions and ways of life,” the archbishop wrote in his July 1 column for his archdiocesan newspaper The Tidings.
“This diversity flourishes precisely because our nation’s founders had a Christian vision of the human person, freedom, and truth. It is a basic American belief that men and women are created equal — with God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
This vision is part of the legacy of Bl. Junipero Serra and his fellow missionaries, said the archbishop.