Pope Leo appoints former undocumented immigrant as US Bishop

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a man who once entered the United States as an undocumented immigrant hidden in a car trunk, to lead the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

The appointment, announced on Friday by the Vatican, is a historic milestone for the Catholic Church in America.

Menjivar-Ayala, 55, will become the first Salvadoran-born bishop to lead a US diocese, taking the helm in one of the nation’s most rural and least racially diverse states.

From civil war to the chancel

Menjivar-Ayala’s journey to the altar is a testament to the "immigrant dream" he often references in his sermons.

Fleeing the violence of the Salvadoran Civil War as a teenager in 1990, he made three attempts to reach the US. On his final successful try, he was smuggled across the border in the trunk of a car.

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Before his calling to the priesthood, he worked as a janitor and construction labourer in Los Angeles and Maryland.

He eventually secured a green card with the help of his predecessor, Bishop Mark Brennan, and became a US citizen in 2006.

The appointment comes at a time of heightened tension between the Vatican and the White House. Menjivar-Ayala has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump’s "maximum pressure" immigration policies, previously describing federal enforcement tactics as a "shock and awe" campaign against the vulnerable.

"I have much to learn, but my heart is ready and wide-open," Menjivar-Ayala said during a news conference in Wheeling. "I want to listen to the poor, those on the margins of the church and society, to the workers, and to the immigrants."

Also read | ‘The brain needs to be used’: Pope Leo warns priests over use of AI for writing sermons

Leading a Diocese in transition

The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston covers the entire state of West Virginia, serving roughly 61,000 Catholics across 92 parishes. Menjivar-Ayala succeeds Bishop Mark Brennan (79), who spent his tenure stabilising the diocese following a high-profile scandal involving his predecessor's financial and sexual misconduct.

Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington praised the appointment, saying that Menjivar-Ayala’s "passion for justice" will be a vital asset in a state that continues to endure significant economic hardship and inequality.

Bishop Menjivar-Ayala is scheduled to be formally installed at a ceremony on July 2.