Pope appoints former undocumented immigrant as bishop of West Virginia
Marina Dunbar
Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a former undocumented immigrant to the U.S., as the new bishop of West Virginia. Menjivar-Ayala, once denied entry twice, became the first Salvadoran bishop in the U.S. in 2023 and has been an outspoken critic of hardline immigration policies.
Pope Leo XIV approved the resignation of Bishop Mark E. Brennan of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and appointed Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, 55, formerly an auxiliary bishop in Washington, as his successor, according to OSV News.
Menjivar-Ayala moved to the United States in 1990. In 2023, he became the first Salvadoran bishop in the country, serving as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Washington. He is considered one of the first U.S. bishops born in Central America. According to the Washington Post, Menjivar-Ayala has publicly called on Catholics to oppose former President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies.
Born on August 14, 1970, in Chalatenango, El Salvador, Menjivar-Ayala’s path to the priesthood began amid the violence of the Salvadoran civil war, where he and his family narrowly escaped death when soldiers fired at them as they fled their home. He twice failed to reach the United States, being deported and abandoned by guides, before succeeding on his third attempt, despite brief detention in Mexico and a grueling desert crossing. He recounted: "I carried a backpack with just a change of clothes, but it was filled with dreams, illusions that sometimes you can’t understand."
After settling, Menjivar-Ayala focused on learning English and earning a GED. He worked as a janitor and in construction before responding to a religious calling at a local parish in Silver Spring, Maryland, to begin studies for the priesthood. At a press conference on Friday, he told the faithful: "We are partners in mission," while expressing a desire to listen to the voices of young people, the poor, workers, and immigrants. He also expressed gratitude to "the first American pope" for appointing him.
Pope Leo had earlier criticized the Trump administration’s treatment of migrants. He once said: "How do you receive foreigners? Do you welcome them or not? I think there needs to be a deep reflection on what is happening." In a Truth Social post last month, Trump called Pope Leo "WEAK on Crime, and bad for Foreign Policy."
