Pope Leo XIV has named Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, an El Salvador-born priest known for his advocacy on behalf of immigrants, as the new bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia, according to media reports. Menjivar-Ayala, who has reportedly opposed President Trump's immigration crackdown, fled El Salvador's brutal civil war as a teenager and made a perilous journey to the United States, crossing the border illegally in 1990. Within weeks of his arrival, Menjivar-Ayala received humanitarian protection, which allowed him to remain in the country legally.
S. citizen approximately twenty years ago, reports state. During his inaugural address, Menjivar-Ayala steered clear of contentious political topics such as immigration policies or the Trump administration, choosing instead to emphasize the importance of listening to the faithful, and he delivered portions of his speech in Spanish, media accounts say.
that could have been me
6 percent of residents are white, according to data cited in reports. Menjivar-Ayala succeeds Bishop Mark Brennan, who has led the diocese since 2019 following a damaging scandal involving the previous bishop, Michael J. Bransfield.
Bransfield was forced to step down in 2018 following a Vatican investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and financial improprieties that included excessive spending on travel and personal items, news reports said. As bishop, Menjivar-Ayala will oversee a diocese comprising approximately 61,000 Catholics spread across 92 parishes, a territory that is notably more rural and has a smaller Catholic presence compared to the Washington area, according to the same accounts. The challenges of ministering in such an environment, with its cultural and geographic differences, will be significant.
I have much to learn, but my heart is ready and wide-open.
The date of Menjivar-Ayala's formal installation has not been announced, and it remains unclear how his background as an immigrant advocate will influence his ministry in a largely white, rural state or how local Catholics will respond.
Above all, I want to listen to the poor. Those in the margins of the church and society. To workers, to the immigrants, because as Matthew 25 says, the way we treat the least is the way we treat Jesus.