Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a former undocumented immigrant who entered the US hidden in a car trunk, as the new bishop of West Virginia. The 55-year-old Salvadoran-born cleric succeeds Bishop Mark E Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, whose resignation was accepted by the pontiff.
Menjivar-Ayala, who moved to the US in 1990, became the first Salvadoran bishop in the country in 2023 while serving as an auxiliary bishop in Washington. He has publicly urged Catholics to oppose Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies, according to the Washington Post.
Accepting his new role at a Friday news conference, Menjivar-Ayala said he did so 'with great joy and humility.' He described his journey from El Salvador's civil war, where he and his family narrowly survived a soldier attack, to three attempts to reach the US, including imprisonment in Mexico and a desert crossing. 'I brought a backpack with only one change of clothes, but it was full of dreams,' he recalled.
After settling in the US, Menjivar-Ayala learned English, earned a GED, and worked janitorial and construction jobs before answering a religious calling in Silver Spring, Maryland. He told Catholics at the press conference: 'We are partners in mission,' and emphasised listening to young people, the poor, workers and immigrants.
Pope Leo, who has criticised Trump's immigration policies, said foreigners in the US were being treated in an 'extremely disrespectful way.' Trump had previously called the Pope 'WEAK on Crime' in a social media post.
