Texas Archbishop has become a gun control advocate after Uvalde: 'We're supposed to promote life'

• After the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Archbishop García-Siller began giving sermons about gun control.
• He has argued that reforming gun laws is no different than the Catholic church's stance on abortion.

Following the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 dead and 17 more wounded, San Antonio's Archbishop García-Siller began giving sermons, conducting interviews, and hosting events centered around gun control.

"You cannot reconcile guns with life," García-Siller, who has presided over funerals of the Uvalde victims and offered spiritual counsel to the shooter's mother, told The New York Times.

Known for his progressive stance on social issues like immigration, the Archbishop's voice joined a growing number of faith leaders who have raised concerns over gun violence nationwide.

García-Siller, who leads the Archdiocese of San Antonio, has argued that demanding gun law reform is similar to the Catholic Church's opposition to the death penalty or abortion: meant to preserve the sanctity of life. Though his viewpoint is based in his Catholic faith, he said his mission is to inspire compassion and, ultimately, change.

"We have to!" García-Siller told a group of reporters shortly after the shooting, The New York Times reported. "We're supposed to promote life, the life of people."

The Archbishop believes the nation must reform existing gun laws, limit access to weapons designed to maximize carnage and address a growing culture of violence in order to minimize rising gun violence across the country.

"We have made guns an idol in this country," García-Siller told MSNBC. "I believe with my whole heart that gun control has to take place in a more radical way."