Cardinal Roger M. Mahony called on Roman Catholics Wednesday to embrace immigrants regardless of their legal status, criticizing what he said was increasing hostility toward the nation's bulging undocumented population. The cardinal also said he would tell priests to defy any law enacted that would try to force churches and other organizations to determine the legality of immigrants before giving them assistance. Mahony, a longtime advocate of immigrant rights who oversees a racially diverse archdiocese of more than 4 million people, used Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season to urge Catholics to "make room" for immigrants. "Unless...
