Pope Leo places former illegal immigrant
in charge of red state diocese
Fox News,
by
Charles Creitz
Original Article
Posted By: shalimar,
5/2/2026 1:35:11 PM
A large Roman Catholic diocese pushed back at criticism Friday after Pope Leo XIV appointed a former illegal immigrant as a bishop amid heightened tensions between the Vatican and Washington over refugees and ICE enforcement.
Leo nominated Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers all of West Virginia. Menjivar-Ayala originally arrived in San Ysidro, California, smuggled in a car trunk after making several prior attempts as a teenager to flee guerrilla war-torn El Salvador.
The bishop has also been critical of increased immigration enforcement measures, calling them a human rights concern and responding directly to critiques of the church from fellow Catholics in the Trump administration ...
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 5/2/2026 1:59:34 PM (No. 2099818)
I am not Catholic, but this seems unlikely to be popular in W. VA. This new Bishop may be a great guy from "war torn" El Salvador, but he arrived illegally. After Pope Leo's trend to endorse open borders I am not sure where the Church is headed. The Methodists' woke Bishops demanded that all their churches conform to their new "enlightened" wokeness and tore the church apart. These churches need to realize that the members driven off will be the older ones and are mostly the most generous tithers
30 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
DVC 5/2/2026 2:29:57 PM (No. 2099825)
I didn't see anything about magically becoming legal. If he's still an illegal, deport him.
50 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Ketchuplover 5/2/2026 2:31:04 PM (No. 2099826)
If he wants to be a leader in the church, then go back to El Salvador and return the legal way. If the pope is so sold on him, then he should require this of the man.
42 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
crashnburn 5/2/2026 2:53:00 PM (No. 2099835)
This is an in-your-face political stunt. Watch the Annual Diocesan Appeal Funds dry up. I'm already boycotting Denver's annual appeal, and as far as I know, out bishop is legal.
44 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
Dodge Boy 5/2/2026 2:55:43 PM (No. 2099836)
Huh. So, Leo, you are preparing to run for political office somewhere?
25 people like this.
One of Pope Leo's first acts was to appoint, as Archbishop of Washington, a prominent Trump critic (who was reportedly involved in covering up a major sex abuse scandal involving a previous Archbishop of Washington.) His appointment, to another leadership position, of an immigration criminal who apparently never bothered to become an American citizen after he received his green card is more of the same.
33 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
Peregrine 5/2/2026 3:25:31 PM (No. 2099844)
As a catholic, I suggest Pope Leo send the Bishop to Rome.
18 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
philsner 5/2/2026 3:38:06 PM (No. 2099847)
This is simple dishonesty using Christianity as some sort of shield. If deporting illegal aliens is so wrong, why is this bishop not working to change the law? Advocating for ignoring law runs counter to biblical teaching.
22 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Red Ghost 5/2/2026 3:44:57 PM (No. 2099848)
I am a practicing Catholic and Eucharist Minister. I am still waiting for Bobby Prevost to make a comment about the third assassination attempt on President Trump's life as well as the assassin's stated goal to execute as many of Trump's cabinet as he could, many of whom are practicing Catholics. Crickets from Bobby. And I beg to differ with Tim Bishop, a spokesman for the newly minted bishop, the Pope's appointment was very much a stick in the eye to Trump, to West Virginians and to MAGA. Bobby seems to be way more political than Pope Francis and he was a disaster.
Now to get even nastier a quote from the new Bishop
FTA: "The question is for them, for those who claim to be Catholic but are not seeing the face of Christ in the migrants," Menjivar-Ayala said, according to World Catholic Report, which also said the newly minted West Virginian advised caution about characterizing illegal immigration as similar to murder and theft." Seems to me, given the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church's history regarding sexual abuse of minors and adults, perhaps Bobby and Menjivar-Avala should be asking did the Church's abusers not see "the face of Christ" in their victims?
Quite frankly, I am sick to death of being lectured to, or having our President's words and actions criticized by these guys, who should keep their mouths shut, pay the money owed to their victims, and atone every single day for the Church's sins.
34 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
downnout 5/2/2026 4:11:40 PM (No. 2099849)
#9, your question is one that should be asked of every Catholic priest at services tomorrow. Indeed, where were they?
22 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
mc squared 5/2/2026 4:13:13 PM (No. 2099850)
So, there are exemptions for some illegal inflintaters to disobey our laws.
12 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
VirtuDawg 5/2/2026 4:14:00 PM (No. 2099851)
As a faithful, practing Catholic, I appeal to Pope Leo to set the example on immigration;
Open Vatican City to all immigrants who want to enter. Provide free food, shelter, medical care, education, social services, etc. To ALL.
Set the example . . . Or shut your pie hole.
40 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
zephyrgirl 5/2/2026 4:41:57 PM (No. 2099853)
Nothing like "in-your-face" activism to discourage attendance at mass. It is really easy to preach about open borders from behind a 30-foot wall, secure in the knowledge that you'll never have to live with the consequences of an invasion by third-worlders.
I'm protestant, but quit going to church for many years until I found one with a "no politics from the pulpit" policy. I know the ministers are leftists, but so far, they're abiding by the policy. They got close during the Saint George Floyd madness, but someone must have jerked the leash because they suddenly shut up. Meanwhile, the sermons are reasonably good, the music is exceptional so I'm on board for now.
13 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
stablemoney 5/2/2026 5:29:27 PM (No. 2099861)
I am glad Leo moved out of the country. Don't ever come back!
11 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
earlybird 5/2/2026 5:33:00 PM (No. 2099865)
Deport the bishop;
14 people like this.
Reply 16 - Posted by:
kono 5/2/2026 6:15:38 PM (No. 2099873)
"large" relates more to square mileage than population. Besides Catholics are a small fraction of the state's Christian population.
3 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
udanja99 5/2/2026 7:17:27 PM (No. 2099883)
Non-practicing Catholic here. This is yet another reason why I now attend a very conservative traditional Anglican Church. The Anglican Church in North America is nothing like its British cousins. My parish was once part of the Episcopal diocese but jumped ship when the EC went completely woke.
3 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
itsonlyme 5/2/2026 7:18:23 PM (No. 2099884)
Meet the “new” socialist pope, same as the old socialist pope
10 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Venturer 5/2/2026 9:23:15 PM (No. 2099905)
This was a direct shot at Donald Trump, and I as a Catholic am angered immensely by it. Hold off on the collection box and see how the Pope likes that.
11 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
MickTurn 5/2/2026 9:51:58 PM (No. 2099916)
Load up the Catapult on the border, looks like the ILLEGAL is about to get a FREE RIDE HOME. Landing safely is optional, hope you can FLY Bozo!
2 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
FormerDem 5/2/2026 10:16:30 PM (No. 2099925)
i was just going to defend the Pope, but, wait a sec, the Pope gets to decide who is bishop but the President etc. do get to decide who is a citizen, and if the guy is up for deportation it is going to be awkward to be bishop at the same time. And no, the Pope can't override the government any more than the government can choose the bishop. Funny to see: the American Pope just cannot take his hands off American politics. So very American! But. Not your lane, Holy Father. You are not graced for Trump's job.
8 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
Strike3 5/3/2026 4:34:44 AM (No. 2099950)
Leo is becoming an open sore. It's difficult to see "the face of Christ in the migrants," when the average illegal alien is raping teenage girls and children and murdering people at will the world over. To us, that's an abomination, to them it's a way of life.
9 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
mifla 5/3/2026 5:43:03 AM (No. 2099964)
Rome required the people in its empire to return periodically to their home towns to be counted in a census.
The journey was a long one and probably cost more than a few pieces of silver. Joseph and Mary complied with the government. They obeyed the law.
5 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
5 handicap 5/3/2026 6:10:18 AM (No. 2099973)
Deport that POS ...Do it Today!
4 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
WhamDBambam 5/3/2026 6:32:49 AM (No. 2099975)
Just another thumb in the eye from the Chicago politician Pope.
7 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
ronniethek 5/3/2026 7:42:41 AM (No. 2099985)
Fix the Constitution and tax them.
3 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
BarryNo 5/3/2026 8:10:48 AM (No. 2099999)
Examine his credentials, if there is even a smidgen wrong, deport him straight to the Vatican.
2 people like this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
Kafka2 5/3/2026 9:13:57 AM (No. 2100034)
The Pope and his Bishop may consider enforcing immigration laws against those who entered the United States illegally a human rights concern, but the murders, rapists and other violent criminals who flooded into the United States under the Biden administration are a true human rights concern for this country. Unlike legal immigrants that are a positive addition to this country, illegals are an overwhelming financial liability and the violent illegals threaten Life and Liberty of all who are here legally.
5 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
Venturer 5/3/2026 9:20:13 AM (No. 2100037)
A blatant action against Donald trump. The Pope is using his Church to fight a political fight , it has nothing to do with theology and his real job. He is making a critical mistake.
3 people like this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
vinegrower 5/3/2026 3:14:13 PM (No. 2100157)
The most anti American Pope is an American. Ironic
2 people like this.
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