Pope Leo has picked a former undocumented migrant, smuggled into the US after fleeing violence in El Salvador, as the new bishop for West Virginia.
Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala's appointment to lead Wheeling-Charleston has received a mixed reaction, because of his call for Catholics to speak out against Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement.
As a teenager, Bishop Evelio attempted to cross the border twice, before making it to California on his third attempt in 1990. He and his family survived being shot at by soldiers while fleeing their home, but one of his cousins was killed in a separate incident.
Bishop Evelio told the Catholic Standard that he was sustained by prayer, leaving with only “a backpack with only one change of clothes, but it was full of dreams, of illusions that sometimes we do not understand. That dream is a light that guides you and, although you don't understand the plan, you launch yourself with confidence in God.”
Believed to be the first American bishop born in Central America, Bishop Evelio has challenged President Trump’s border policies. In a Catholic Standard column, he described the behaviour of Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as a “violation of fundamental human rights”, warning the “dark side of anti-immigrant animus” cannot exist.
When asked about comments made by Republican figures rebuking the Catholic Church for its stance on immigration enforcement, he said it was for officials to discern how it aligns with their Christian faith. “The question is for them, for those who claim to be Catholic but are not seeing the face of Christ in the migrants,” he said, as reported by World Catholic Report.
Having studied and improved his English, Bishop Evelio worked as a cleaner and a construction worker. He became a legal US resident when living in Maryland in 2006, where he became a youth minister and then answered a call to the priesthood.
At a press conference, Bishop Evelio said he accepted the role “with great joy and humility”, thanking “the first American pope” for his appointment. He set out priorities in listening to the ideas of young people, the poor and immigrants, according to The Guardian.
The appointment has been characterised as part of Pope Leo’s efforts to “elevate” US clergy relevant to areas of tension with the Trump administration, by the Washington Post. Christopher Hale, of the Letters from Leo substack and former Democratic candidate, said it was a “remarkable choice” by the Pope, in a “state that is over 90% white and voted for President Trump by 42 points.”
Wheeling diocese spokesman Tim Bishop rejected that characterisation, telling Fox News that “Bishop Evelio came some time ago looking for a better life and better opportunities, and thank God he did because he will shepherd the faith of our diocese”.
During a verbal attack, President Trump called Pope Leo “weak on crime” and “catering to the radical left” on matters of US national security. The pope has previously told reporters that foreigners in America were being treated in an “extremely disrespectful way”.