Pope taps immigrant-turned-bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala to lead a West Virginia diocese, spotlighting migrant mercy in church leadership. He’s a bishop with immigrant roots.
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, an auxiliary bishop in Washington, to lead the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia. Menjivar-Ayala has spoken about listening to the poor and immigrants, and his background as an undocumented teen who later became a U.S. citizen informs his approach to migrants and marginalized communities. The installation will occur on July 2.