US EditionPope Leo appoints former migrant who entered US without legal status to lead West Virginia Catholics
The appointment highlights his ministry to migrants and marginalized communities as the diocese prepares for a transition in leadership.
- On May 1, Pope Leo XIV accepted Bishop Mark E. Brennan's resignation and appointed Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Menjivar-Ayala will be installed July 2, overseeing about 61,000 Catholics across West Virginia.
- Born in El Salvador, Menjivar-Ayala fled civil war as a teenager, arriving in the United States in 1990 after multiple attempts to enter. He became a U.S. citizen in 2006 and made history as the first Salvadoran bishop in the country in 2023.
- This appointment follows high-profile tension between Pope Leo and President Donald Trump over immigration and Middle East policies. Some reports frame the selection as a direct Vatican message regarding immigration, while others emphasize the Pope's general policy criticism.
- During a recent news conference, Menjivar-Ayala committed to listening to "the poor, the workers, and the immigrants" as his ministry begins. He expressed hope that West Virginians would eventually accept him as a "fellow West Virginian."
- The Vatican has increasingly appointed bishops with refugee backgrounds, including Pope Leo's 2025 selection of Michael Pham as bishop of San Diego. This trend signals a broader papal strategy prioritizing leadership experienced in serving marginalized communities.
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lrytas.ltPope Leo XIV has appointed a former refugee who once entered the United States without valid documents as a bishop in the United States.
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Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, speaking at the 2025 ‘Festival of Faiths’ in Louisville, Kentucky. Screenshot, Festival of Faiths on YouTubePope Bob from Chicago on Friday promoted Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, who came to the US illegally in 1990 when he was 18, to become the archbishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. Menjivar-Ayala in 2023 became the US’s first Salvadoran-born bishop, and in his current position as auxiliary bis…
Pope Leo XIV has appointed a cleric who once illegally entered the United States from El Salvador as a bishop. The Vatican announced that 55-year-old Evelio Menjivar-Ayala has become bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in the U.S. state of West Virginia.
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Evelio Menjivar-Ayala is making headlines as the newly appointed leader of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. This move by Pope Leo has drawn significant attention, not only because of Menjivar-Ayala’s personal story but also due to his political leanings and the implications for the church in a conservative state. Menjivar-Ayala’s journey is compelling. Once an illegal alien, he arrived in the U.S. as a teenager after being sm…
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A major Catholic diocese defended a controversial appointment after Pope Leo XIV elevated a bishop with a history of illegal entry into the United States and a record of criticizing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. The post Pope Leo Chooses Anti-Trump Former Illegal Alien to Lead West Virginia’s Diocese appeared first on Slay News.
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