The Archbishop of San Antonio was named to take over the archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Benedict XVI, when Cardinal Roger Mahoney retires.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that Jose Gomez is to take over the Los Angeles archdiocese in February, when Mahoney reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75.

The Times further informed that Gomez has been the archbishop of San Antonio for five years. He is a member of Opus Dei, a controversial, conservative order,.

It was further noted by the Times that Gomez, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, and speaks fluent Spanish, apparently was chosen for Los Angeles in part due to the large number of Latinos in the area.

The repots of the newspaper also said that Mahoney, who for 25 years has been the head of the archdiocese, was elevated to cardinal in 1991, a promotion that Gomez will most likely also get.

Mahoney said, "I welcome Archbishop Gomez to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles with enthusiasm and personal excitement." (With Inputs from Agencies)