Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, who was born in El Salvador and was smuggled into the U.S. as a teen in the trunk of a car, is leaving Washington, D.C., to lead the Catholic Church in West Virginia, a state where Catholics and Latinos are a tiny slice of the population.
Pope Francis named Menjivar-Ayala, who became a citizen in 2006, an auxiliary — or assistant — bishop in Washington in 2023, making him the first Salvadoran bishop in the country. He has been outspoken about the plight of migrants ever since, more loudly since the crackdown and mass deportations of the Trump administration.
Last week, Pope Leo appointed him bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which encompasses the entirety of the state that delivered the highest percentage of the vote for President Donald Trump in 2024.
The Washington Post spoke to Menjivar-Ayala, 55, about what his advocacy will look like in his new position, what kind of music he likes and why Leo — the first U.S.-born pope — will spend America’s 250th birthday at an infamous migration hub in the Mediterranean Sea. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Q: How should people refer to you? I’ve seen your name a few different ways on church-run sites — sometimes Bishop Menjivar-Ayala, sometimes Bishop Menjivar.
A: I like Bishop Evelio. I prefer to just use my first name.
Q: You made it into the United States after three unsuccessful illegal attempts, then reunited with your sister in Los Angeles. What would that teenager lying in a car trunk say if you told him he’d someday be bishop of a diocese?
A: As a teenager, I never thought — it never crossed my mind, but I just seized the opportunities God put in front of me, the life put in front of me, and the fact that I am where I am now is precisely because — I believe I did the best — but I never let myself go away from the hands of God. That’s essential. Walk with God, look for good guidance, good mentors, and open yourself to the opportunities that life offers.
Q: President Trump’s top issue in 2024 was immigration crackdowns and mass deportations. Seventy percent of West Virginians voted for him. You have been very critical of Trump’s approach. Will that change in West Virginia?
A: Well, my approach defending human dignity will not change because that is embedded in the social Catholic teaching. So that is essential in our faith. But my focus will change in the sense that I need to see the realities of the people there. … There are great opportunities in West Virginia, but of course many people live under poverty. … Immigration will be important because it’s part of who I am as well, it’s part of my personal story. But I’ll have to open wide my ears and eyes to the needs of the people.
Q: It seems the church under this pope, and Pope Francis, has positioned itself much more as a defender of migrant rights. Why? And, how is that going?
A: It’s because it’s one of the greatest crises the whole humanity is going through. This issue does not only affect the United States but the whole world. When there are conflicts, obviously there are masses of people who are forced to migrate. … I visited South Sudan early in my episcopacy, and I witnessed the difficult situation people are living there, refugees, just escaping war, moving back to South Sudan. This is something that is affecting the whole world. Millions of people are displaced because of war in Ukraine. It’s a very important issue for the church, for other institutions that defend human dignity.
Q: Pope Leo will spend July Fourth on the tiny Italian island of Lampedusa, a major hub for Europe-bound migrants in seas where many fleeing have died. Is the date a coincidence? What is he saying — to the church? To the United States?
A: It’s providential maybe, that he found that time. What about if we read it as: Here is an American pope with a universal … he’s a shepherd for the whole church? What about if you say: Here is an American that cares? It is a great message. He’s not there and just having hot dogs and burgers on that day as an American, but [is] just continuing the work, the ministry he is being called to do. …
He’s a great promoter of welcoming the migrants — that shows it’s very important for him. It’s a sign that the church cares for everyone. Cares for migrants, refugees, to promote peace around the world so that people don’t feel forced to leave their own country. He also cares for international aid to impoverished countries so that people feel opportunities in their own country to thrive.
Q: You have been critical of U.S. Catholics, and especially priests, who don’t stand up for immigrants. Do you still think that is the case? Or did Trump’s crackdown make more Catholics take action?
A: I’d say more and more priests are standing with immigrants and speaking up. … I would say the big majority speak up, but perhaps in some cases they need to do better work. Our work is always pastoral; it’s not political. It is very essential for a pastor to walk with people when they are vulnerable. It’s the mandate. We just need to read Matthew 25 to find what is our place and what our position should be. I hope more priests will read that, Matthew 25.
Q: Is Pope Leo picking up where Francis left off, or is he forging a new direction?
A: Pope Leo is Pope Leo. He is continuing with a lot of the ministry, of the priorities, of Pope Francis. We can see that, even with his selection of bishops, he wants bishops who are close to the people. Both of them come from the experience of the Latin American church, which is a church not so much into “ideas,” high theology, but into reality and pastoral priorities, walking with the people. We start with the reality, and then we start thinking about the ideas. He’s very much in that line. But obviously Pope Leo is Pope Leo.
Q: Six to eight percent of West Virginians are Catholic, compared to more than 20 percent of people living within the Washington Archdiocese. How will you do your job differently in a place where Catholics — and Latinos — are a much smaller share of the population?
A: It is a great opportunity. When Pope Leo went to Africa, Algeria, it was highlighted — the grace, and the opportunities of being a minority. Then we can witness the Gospel in a quiet way, in a humble way, in an unassuming way, not from a place of prestige or power but from witnessing the Gospel. But at the same time I hope we will have the chance to sit at that table, where decisions are made, especially decisions that affect the vulnerable, the immigrant, the youth.
Even though we’re a tiny minority, and there are not many Hispanics, I think the church is in a great position in West Virginia to truly be a servant church … and to work with so many religious leaders. Obviously West Virginians are very religious, so I’m looking forward to working with others.
Q: There have been reports of a rise in people joining the Catholic Church. Some say people are “coming back,” but nothing really goes back and we are always changing. What do you think U.S. religion will look like in the coming decades?
A: There is a good air around. And that air is the Holy Spirit. … People are searching. They’re feeling that need for community, for support. And they are rediscovering that in the Catholic Church. It provides that, [and] a sense of being universal. Now, we can live in that global village, even in a tiny town or church in the holler over there in West Virginia.
Q: What books or music are you into lately?
A: I love bluegrass music, all the Appalachian kind of spiritual music. I’ve been listening to a lot of that, even before [this appointment]. It brings a lot of memories of Salvador, the beautiful mountains, the simplicity of people.
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