Overview
- The Vatican, in a move publicized in Washington on Friday by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, accepted Bishop Mark E. Brennan’s resignation and named Evelio Menjivar-Ayala to Wheeling-Charleston, with Gary Studniewski and Robert Boxie III appointed as auxiliary bishops in Washington.
- Menjivar-Ayala, 55, fled El Salvador’s war as a teen, entered the U.S. in 1990 without papers, later secured legal status and became a citizen in 2006, and will be installed as West Virginia’s bishop on July 2.
- In past remarks, Menjivar-Ayala criticized federal immigration raids as a “shock and awe” campaign, Boxie warned against rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and Studniewski condemned the January 6 Capitol attack as “very disturbing.”
- Church officials emphasized pastoral motives, with the Wheeling-Charleston diocese rejecting claims of political intent, while coverage across outlets described the choices as consequential during the pope’s public disputes with President Trump over immigration and the Iran war.
- The Wheeling-Charleston diocese serves about 61,000 Catholics in a largely white, rural state, and the new bishop says he will prioritize listening to the poor, workers, immigrants and young people as he shapes ministry in communities facing hardship.