Former missionary responds to church comments

Members of a Catholic Church in San Diego created newsletters, promoting a message that says, those who will vote for the Democratic party this upcoming Election, will be “condemned to hell.” A former missionary and parishioner of a Catholic Church in Tucson, TJ Gomez, said he believes in preaching a different message. “We’re not a hateful type of organization or church,” Gomez said. “We in fact are completely the opposite, [we believe in] unconditional love, meaning that we recognize we all have our shortcomings but accept that we have room to grow. Gomez said he takes biblical teachings into context, and believes the message of the members of the San Diego church do not align with the ideals of Catholicism. “This is not what we as a church globally preach or believe in.” Gomez said. Regardless of a person’s political preference, Gomez said the Catholic church stands by preaching a message of acceptance. “What we do on a local level is to inform our community about social teaching and social justice our own Catholic perspective which is guided by unconditional love.”