Political Padre: Raymundo Chávez Vázquez and Illegal Immigration

"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.

Everyone, however, was surprised when 5,000 to 7,000 people turned up for the march. Alan Cooper was working in the area at the time and says that the protest "blew everyone's mind."

"It was the biggest march anyone had ever seen in Bryan," García Alonzo says.
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Father Rafael, the other Mexican priest at Santa Teresa, remembers his seminary days with Father Raymundo in San Luis Potosí, where the two met. Both remember conditions in the Mexican seminary as harsh. "We were supposed to request permission to do everything," Father Rafael says. "Even to get medicine or leave the seminary for a couple of hours, we had to ask permission. They didn't allow us to express our own ideas."

Father Rafael says that he first experienced intellectual freedom in a Catholic church in Houston. "We could have a true conversation there," he says. "It was an opportunity to express ourselves. In Mexico, they told you what to think."

Father Raymundo is a little more conflicted. After all, he loves his country and wants to go back. "I learned this saying in English," he says. "There's no place like home." His dreams take him far from Aggieland, but he's found a unique voice at Santa Teresa. "There's a lot people here that think that I shouldn't express myself," he says, "but I've found freedom. And there are more opportunities for ­education."