Apr 20, 2026
To serve the people of God and following extensive consultation with the Clergy Personnel Board over the last few months, Bishop Oscar Cantú has made the following new clergy assignments effective July 1, 2026, unless otherwise indicated.
Office of Pastor
- Msgr. Francis Cilia from pastor of Saint Clare in San Jose to pastor of Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph
- Rev. Steve Kim from assignment outside the diocese to pastor of Saint Elizabeth in Milpitas.
- Rev. Joseph Mendi Nguyen from parochial vicar of Saint Catherine in Morgan Hill to pastor of Saint Clare in Santa Clara
- Rev. Daniel Urcia from parish administrator of Saint Athanasius in Mountain View to pastor of Saint Athanasius in Mountain View
Office of Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Jonathan Cuarto from parochial vicar of Our Lady of La Vang to parochial of Saint Athanasius in Mountain View
- Rev Peter Loi Huynh from assignment outside the diocese to parochial vicar of Saint Joseph of Cupertino
- Rev. Miguel Lombardi from parochial vicar of Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph to parochial vicar of Our Lady of La Vang
- Rev. Dat Luong from parochial vicar of Saint Simon in Los Altos to parochial vicar of Holy Family in San Jose
- Rev. Ryan Mau from parochial vicar of Saint Lawrence the Martyr in Santa Clara to parochial vicar of Saint Catherine in Morgan Hill
- Rev. Gerald Nwafor from parochial vicar of Saint Justin in Santa Clara to parochial vicar of Saint Simon in Los Altos
- Rev. Ernesto Orci from pastor of Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph to chaplain of SJSU Newman Center and parochial vicar at Saint Leo the Great
- Rev. Joseph Page from hospital chaplain to parochial vicar of Saint Justin in Santa Clara
Special Assignments
- Rev. Tony Famave departing as parochial vicar of Saint Martin of Tours for Language Studies outside the diocese
Apr 13, 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Over the weekend, President Trump publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media, calling the Holy Father “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” Later, he posted an image of himself in a biblical robe, rays of light emanating from his hands, in what can only be described as a messianic self-portrait, which was deleted this morning. These actions are deeply disrespectful and offensive, not because they wound the Church’s pride, but because a sitting U.S. President is publicly mocking the Successor of Peter while apparently casting himself in divine terms.
Pope Leo XIV is not a politician. He is the Vicar of Christ.
His voice does not rise from the chambers of government or the calculations of diplomacy. It rises from the Gospel, from the Beatitudes, where Christ himself declares: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Mt. 5:9). When the Holy Father speaks against war, when he calls for dialogue over destruction, when he pleads for the protection of civilians and the dignity of every human life, he is not entering a political debate. He is fulfilling his sacred duty as the Successor of Peter.
This is not new. This witness has been the voice of the papacy for generations.
Pope John XXIII, in his landmark encyclical Pacem in Terris, written at the height of the Cold War, called on all peoples and all nations to build a world order rooted in truth, justice, love, and freedom rather than military dominance. Pope Paul VI stood before the United Nations in 1965, as American combat forces were escalating in Vietnam, and declared with unmistakable urgency: “No more war, war never again.” Pope John Paul II, who knew firsthand the brutality of totalitarianism, traveled the world as a tireless apostle of peace, challenging every ideology that placed power above the dignity of the human person — including opposing the Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq. Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis continued in this same tradition without wavering.
From the very beginning of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has called for disarmament, dialogue, and the conversion of hearts as necessary conditions for a lasting peace. His voice has been consistent across every conflict, not merely this one. Last November, he called out by name the countries where Christians face discrimination and persecution — Nigeria, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Sudan — decrying frequent attacks on communities and places of worship and asking that “all violence may cease.” In January, as anti-government protesters were being killed in the streets of Tehran, Pope Leo lamented that “ongoing tensions continue to claim many lives” and prayed that “dialogue and peace may be patiently nurtured in pursuit of the common good of the whole of society.”
To call that weakness is to misunderstand or to deliberately distort what Jesus taught us.
I join my brother bishops in expressing my concern at the President’s words. Disagreement between the Church and any government is not new; such tensions have existed throughout history. But there is a way to engage those differences with respect for the office of the papacy and the dignity of dialogue. The remarks made this weekend fell far short of that standard.
Continue to pray, dear brothers and sisters, for our Holy Father, for our nation’s leaders, and for all those suffering in wars and conflicts across this wounded world. This is how we answer disrespect: not with anger, but with intercession. Not with contempt, but with the love that casts out fear.
Let us continue to join Pope Leo in praying for peace across the globe, our common home.
May the peace of the Risen Christ reign in all hearts.
Most Rev. Oscar Cantú
Bishop of San José
Apr 13, 2026
Opinion By Bishop Oscar Cantú Special to The Sacramento Bee
During Holy Week, as Christians recall how a public change of heart led to what we consider to be the ultimate sacrifice in a state-sanctioned execution, it is a fitting moment to reflect on how justice is carried out today. California holds the largest death row population in the nation, with hundreds of men and women still living under a sentence of death. Yet our state has not carried out an execution in years and has already begun moving toward a more humane vision of justice.
In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions and dismantled the death chamber at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Under his leadership, California has also begun implementing the California Model within its correctional system — an approach that prioritizes accountability, rehabilitation and restorative justice. These actions represent an important shift in how our state understands justice and public safety. But one decisive step remains: Hundreds of individuals remain on death row. As long as their sentences stand, the machinery of capital punishment remains intact, waiting only for a future governor to potentially revive it.
We urge Newsom to commute all death sentences within his authority — those involving a single felony conviction — to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, and to petition the California Supreme Court to approve the commutation of the remaining sentences so that California’s progress toward a more just system cannot easily be reversed.
For more than four decades, the Catholic bishops of the United States have called for an end to the death penalty because it is incompatible with respect for the dignity of the human person. That belief flows from the Gospel itself: Every person is created in the image and likeness of God, and that dignity is never lost — even after the commission of serious crimes. Today, there is growing recognition that the death penalty does not accomplish what justice truly requires. It does not restore victims. It does not rehabilitate offenders. It does not strengthen communities. Instead, it perpetuates a cycle of violence that leaves wounds unhealed. The Catholic Church teaches clearly that the death penalty is no longer morally acceptable. As St. John Paul II wrote, “modern society in fact has the means of effectively suppressing crime by rendering criminals harmless without definitively denying them the chance to reform” (Evangelium Vitae, 56).
Modern systems of detention can protect the public while preserving the possibility of redemption. For this reason, the church teaches that the death penalty is “inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” (CCC, 2267). This approach also opens the door to restorative justice — a path that aims to address the harm more fully. It brings victims, offenders and communities together to confront the wrongdoing, foster accountability and pursue healing whenever possible.
Just as Palm Sunday’s hosannas give way to the cries for crucifixion, yet lead to the promise of resurrection and new life, our justice system can also move beyond retribution towards mercy, healing and the opportunity for transformation.
Commuting death sentences does not mean ignoring the suffering caused by crime. Victims and their families carry burdens that often last a lifetime, and their pain must never be minimized. True justice requires that we listen to them, accompany them with compassion and ensure that their voices are heard. A just system must honor both accountability and the enduring needs of those who have been harmed.
Yet, across California, every Catholic diocese supports some form of restorative justice ministry. These ministries accompany victims and their families, support those who are incarcerated and help communities move forward. They reflect a conviction that justice is strongest when it protects society while also affirming the dignity of every person involved.
California has already begun moving in this direction. Under Newsom’s leadership, many individuals once held on death row have been transferred to other correctional facilities while remaining securely incarcerated. But the work is not yet finished: Commuting the remaining death sentences would bring California’s policies into alignment with this vision and ensure that capital punishment cannot quietly return under a future administration. Completing this step would ensure that California’s turn away from the death penalty becomes not a temporary policy, but a lasting legacy.
Bishop Oscar Cantú is bishop of the Diocese of San José and president of the California Catholic Conference.
Read more at: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article315265447.html#storylink=cpy
