‘We have to be accountable’

SAN ANTONIO (RNS) — As a mariachi began to play at an event for San Antonio community and faith-based organizations early last month, San Antonio Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller’s feet started moving, and even as he was swarmed by Catholics asking for hugs, pictures and blessings, his feet kept moving, as he danced with parishioner after parishioner.

García-Siller, the eldest of 15 children, grew up in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and was sent to the U.S. in 1980 by his order, the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit. After serving as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Chicago, he has led the Archdiocese of San Antonio since 2010.

Sitting down for an interview after dancing, García-Siller, 68, spoke about facing the incoming Donald Trump administration as the only immigrant leading a U.S. border diocese, synodality, the U.S. bishops’ anti-poverty program and his health.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You were hospitalized for two days in October. How are you doing? You seem fit and healthy today.

Yes, I am. It was a surprise because they thought I had a stroke or was in a coma or something, but I never lost consciousness. I have been learning what to do, what not to do. (It’s about) what I’m eating, and also knowing that I have to have time to recoup, because it’s very intense. And I’m intense, so what can I do?

We’re hearing more these days about religious leaders dealing with burnout, which is more mental, but it sounds more like you were coming up against something more physical.

That’s right. It was not my mind, it was not my heart. The body said, “That’s it.”

You’ve spoken about the fear in your archdiocese about a second Donald Trump administration and the significant need for spiritual care. What do pastors need to serve their communities?

This is going to be a huge load for pastors and lay leaders in our communities. It will be for quite a while. We also have about 450 permanent deacons. They are so dedicated. What we have in place already is for all priests to have physical checkups, and be sure they are following up in the areas (where) they are weak. We hired a nurse who will be (doing that) full time. 

Also, some is physical, some is psychological. We have a good number of counselors … to provide programs for them that they can go to. This (has) already (been in place) for a year because we knew what we were dealing with already. It has been very, very helpful.

How is your archdiocese working to implement synodality, the theological approach of dialogue and discernment that was the topic of Pope Francis’ synod over the past three years?

In Zoom meetings and in person, we have had over 2,000 encounters with the poor, with people of different orientations, synodal meals with universities, with schools, with the homeless, with priests, with religious life, with women, with men, with people on staff in parishes. With priests we have had so many, because, you see, the synodal process is not one encounter.

We have an office that is in charge of making encounters happen. They connect with Rome, with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, with the Texas conference, with others in the world. It’s one person but very qualified. We don’t need to make a very huge structure.

Next year, we’re going to work in the deaneries (subdivisions of the archdiocese) with the laity, because it will be easier to see in the deaneries what is needed. Of course, there’s also the opportunity to disseminate and to talk about the final report on the synod, in order to make a proclamation in 2026 of the new pastoral plan, based on the reality of the (archdiocese’s) personnel, the communities and the buildings. An assessment, but (carried out) together, not to send an office to make an assessment of all the buildings. We are all responsible for the body of Christ.

Today, we’re attending the launch of the 50th anniversary of COPS/Metro, an organization that receives funding from the U.S. bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Development. What did you think of discussions earlier this year that contemplated radically transforming the anti-poverty program?

I am in favor (of CCHD). I was very disappointed that there were brother bishops who didn’t see the goodness because there was maybe a case (of wrongdoing) here, maybe a case there. Well, that happens in our parishes too. We don’t go by that. We go by the larger impact for the well-being and the common good and the principles of the Catholic Church. Will we dissolve marriages just because one little thing happened here in the relationship? No! It’s the opposite. Let us invest more to eradicate that.

As you face anti-migrant policies at the state and federal levels, what can you do?

We cannot be leaders today in any form or shape if we are not people of prayer. Otherwise, we think that we are the ones who are going to do the change. If we examine ourselves at the level of the heart, as Pope Francis has invited us, we’ll find out that we can’t. Even our good cooperation can only go so far, but who will multiply it?

What you saw today is just a handful of people (facing) the reality of migration in the United States. We will not stop, because we want to please God, and to please God is to be of service to neighbors, no matter what faith, their color, if they have offended us or not. If somebody asks for help, we, with God’s grace, can do something, knowing that we’ll be multiplied in the giving.

Our wish is for the little kids to be happy and to receive education. Today, somebody showed the picture of her son, who is disabled. The mother (who has legal immigration status) said, “They say they’re not going to pay for his medication.”

I told her: “You have my phone number. This week we will find what he needs right now, whatever we have to do. If we have to beg, we beg. He needs his medication.” I had to be accountable in what I said. All the leaders of the city, we have to be accountable.