The Pope’s latest move is something Barack Obama would have done, not a pope who is supposed to be a religious leader. Now, he’s in our face with his political views. He appointed a once or current illegal alien priest as the only Catholic bishop in conservative West Virginia. It is election interference. I don’t doubt the bishop is a good man, but that isn’t what this is about. It’s pure Obama-style or Axelrod-style politics.
Pope Leo XIV has named Salvadoran immigrant Evelio Menijar-Ayala to be West Virginia’s lone Catholic bishop. As a teenager, he made three attempts to enter the United States illegally. He finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car with his brother over the border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.
Over the next several years, Menjivar-Ayala worked as a janitor and in construction in California before deciding to become a priest.
It’s a stunningly political choice in a state that is over 90% white and voted for President Trump by 42 points.
NEW: Pope Leo XIV has named Salvadoran immigrant Evelio Menijar-Ayala to be West Virginia’s lone Catholic bishop.
As a teenager, he made three attempts to enter the United States illegally.
He finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car… pic.twitter.com/B3nxn9xZYG
— Christopher Hale (@ChristopherHale) May 1, 2026