The Right Rev Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, appointed last week as bishop of West Virginia, has pledged to continue advocating for immigrants, aligning with Pope Leo's stance amid tensions with Donald Trump. Menjivar-Ayala, 55, who fled El Salvador's civil war as a teenager and was smuggled into the US in a car trunk, becomes the first Latino American bishop from El Salvador to lead the diocese.
In an interview, Menjivar-Ayala stated, 'I will keep talking about people’s reality, defending immigrants and fighting for fair treatment for them.' He noted that every time he hears about immigration raids, he thinks, 'that immigrant could be me.' His appointment is seen as a clear signal from Pope Leo, who has clashed with Trump over immigration and the US-Israel war on Iran.
Menjivar-Ayala avoids naming Trump administration officials but emphasizes a moral approach. 'We are not approaching this from a partisan political standpoint, but from a moral one,' he said, citing the church's social doctrine grounded in the Gospel. He quoted Matthew 25, where Jesus identifies with the poor, prisoners, and immigrants.
The bishop's stance comes amid heightened rhetoric from Trump, who has claimed divine protection and posted AI-generated imagery of himself as Jesus. Menjivar-Ayala remains committed to speaking out, saying, 'I won’t stop talking about what matters to people today.'
