CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) 鈥� The next bishop for West Virginia Catholics will be an El Salvador-born advocate for immigrants who has opposed U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 policies.
announced Friday the appointment of the Most Rev. Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, an auxiliary bishop in Washington, D.C., as the new leader of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which comprises West Virginia, one of the nation鈥檚 least racially diverse states.
Menjivar-Ayala, 55, fled El Salvador’s civil war as a teen in the late 1980s, eventually crossing illegally into the United States in 1990, he told The Associated Press in an interview last year. But within 鈥渁 couple of weeks鈥� he gained humanitarian protection, later was granted a , and became a U.S. citizen two decades ago.
Nonetheless, he feels close to immigrants who have been caught up by raids, including last year鈥檚 in Washington, because 鈥渢hat could have been me,鈥� he said in 2025.
The Catholic Church has long and refugees in the United States and around the world. Menjivar-Ayala and other U.S. church leaders have the Trump administration鈥檚 mass deportation policies while also affirming a nation鈥檚 right to control its borders and urging reconciliation.
New bishop to prioritize those on the margins
Menjivar-Ayala did not mention immigration policies nor Trump is his speech Friday, instead focusing on his desire to be accepted by West Virginians and his willingness to listen to the community. A portion of his speech was in Spanish.
鈥淚 have much to learn, but my heart is ready and wide-open,鈥� he said. 鈥淎bove 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.鈥�
In the Washington archdiocese, which includes the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland, more than 40% of parishioners are Latino. In West Virginia 鈥� all of which is covered by the Wheeling-Charleston diocese 鈥� only 2.4% of the population is Latino and 92.6% of its 1.77 million residents identify as white, according to the U.S. Census.
Menjivar-Ayala replaces the Most Rev. Mark Brennan, 79, who has . Brennan had taken over after a scandal over a former bishop鈥檚 sexual harassment of adults and lavish spending of church money. In a shared news conference in Wheeling on Friday, Brennan reminded West Virginians that many in America come from somewhere else.
鈥淏ut he loves all the people here. He鈥檚 not going to be bishop just for one group within the diocese. He鈥檒l be bishop for all the people. I can assure you of that.鈥�
The new bishop, who has spent his ministerial career in the nation’s capital and surrounding communities, will work in a less Catholic and more rural region, overseeing the diocese鈥檚 61,000 Catholics and 92 parishes throughout West Virginia.
While acknowledging the beauty of West Virginia mountains and natural resources, he said many people in one of the nation鈥檚 poorest states 鈥渃ontinue to endure hardship, marginalization and inequality.鈥�
Lauded for his immigration advocacy
Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington praised Menjivar-Ayala鈥檚 during his tenure in the capital, saying in a statement that 鈥渉is passion for justice and sensitive care for the Hispanic and immigrant communities of our Archdiocese have planted seeds of grace that will yield a harvest here for decades to come.鈥�
In an article he wrote last year for the Catholic Standard, the official newspaper of the Washington archdiocese, Menjivar-Ayala spoke out against the treatment of immigrants by Trump鈥檚 administration.
鈥淓ach day this situation is getting worse and more ominous,鈥� Menjivar-Ayala wrote. 鈥淔or weeks now, the federal government has pursued a 鈥榮hock and awe鈥� campaign of aggressive threats and highly visible operations of questionable legality that go far beyond mere immigration 鈥榚nforcement.鈥欌��
Menjivar-Ayala, whose appointment comes a few weeks after the over the U.S. war against Iran, will be installed as bishop at a ceremony on July 2. The White House didn鈥檛 immediately respond to a request for comment on Menjivar-Ayala鈥檚 appointment.
Another Latin America-born priest was also named a U.S. bishop on Friday. The Rev. John Gomez will start his tenure in the Diocese of Laredo, Texas, on June 30. Gomez was born in Colombia, came to the United States on a student visa in 2002 and became a U.S. citizen in 2021, according to his current diocese in Tyler, Texas. In a statement, Bishop Gregory Kelly of Tyler praised his 鈥渃ommitment to Hispanic Ministry.鈥�
Pope Leo鈥檚 , two weeks after his own election in May 2025, was a former refugee: , who was born in Vietnam and became bishop of San Diego, California.
The number of in the United States has been declining for decades, making foreign-born clergy essential to many parishes nationwide.
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Dell’Orto reported from Minneapolis.
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