Pope accepts resignation of West Virginia bishop, names Washington auxiliary as successor
Pope Leo XIV accepted Bishop Mark E. Brennan's resignation from the Wheeling‑Charleston Diocese. He appointed Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar‑Ayala of Washington as the new bishop of the same diocese. The announcement was made publicly in Washington on May 1, 2026 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio. The Wheeling‑Charleston Diocese covers the entire state of West Virginia.
5 months ago
Pope Leo XIV reshuffled the leadership of the U.S. Catholic hierarchy on May 1 2026, accepting a West Virginia bishop’s resignation, appointing a new diocesan ordinary, and naming two new auxiliaries for Washington while also announcing other episcopal assignments nationwide1 2 3.
Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Bishop Mark E. Brennan, age 79, of the Diocese of Wheeling‑Charleston, West Virginia, and named Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar‑Ayala of Washington as his successor1 4.
The same announcement included the appointment of Father John Gómez as bishop‑designate of the Diocese of Laredo, Texas, succeeding Bishop James Tamayo after his retirement at age 762.
For the Archdiocese of Washington, the pope appointed Father Gary R. Studniewski and Father Robert P. Boxie III as auxiliary bishops, while accepting the resignation of Auxiliary Bishop Roy E. Campbell Jr., who had served since 20173.
Menjivar‑Ayala, 55, was born in El Salvador and fled the civil war as a teenager, entering the United States illegally in 1990 before receiving humanitarian protection and later U.S. citizenship4.
He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington on May 29 2004 after studying philosophy at St. John Vianney College Seminary (Miami) and theology at the Angelicum in Rome, earning a licentiate from the Pontifical Scalabrinian Institute1.
He speaks English, Spanish, and Italian and became the first Salvadoran bishop in the United States when appointed auxiliary of Washington in 20231 2.
His Washington assignments included parochial vicar, pastor, vicar general (2023), and service on the priest personnel board and priest council2.
He has been a vocal advocate for immigrants, publicly criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in 2024‑25 and emphasizing pastoral care for migrants4.
The Diocese of Wheeling‑Charleston covers the entire state (≈ 1.77 million residents), with about 61,000 Catholics in 92 parishes4.
Menjivar‑Ayala’s installation is scheduled for July 2 20264.
He pledged to listen to the poor and marginalized, noting the state’s high poverty and limited racial diversity (≈ 2.4 % Latino)4.
Studniewski serves as pastor of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Washington, D.C., and is a former U.S. Army chaplain (1995‑2014) who retired as a colonel2 3.
Boxie is chaplain at Howard University’s Sister Thea Bowman Catholic Student Center and holds engineering and law degrees from Vanderbilt and Harvard before studying in Rome; he was ordained in 20162 3.
Both auxiliaries emphasized their commitment to the archdiocese’s diverse and historically Black communities during a May 1 press conference attended by Cardinal Robert W. McElroy3.
The appointments reflect the growing reliance on foreign‑born clergy in the United States, amid a long‑term decline in priestly ordinations4.
Menjivar‑Ayala’s immigrant background and advocacy align with Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on social justice and outreach to marginalized groups4.*
How does episcopal succession reflect the Church’s stance on immigration?
Episcopal succession—meaning the bishops’ sacramental transmission of the Apostles’ mission and power—reflects the Church’s stance on immigration by showing that the Church does not treat migration policy as a shifting political preference, but as a pastoral and moral responsibility grounded in a continuous apostolic tradition: faith that must be “handed down” also shapes how the Church welcomes, protects, and advocates for migrants and refugees.
Apostolic/episcopal succession is not only a historical fact; it is the Church’s guaranteed continuity. The Catechism’s Compendium explains apostolic succession as the transmission, through Holy Orders, of the Apostles’ mission and power to their successors (the bishops), so that the Church “remains in communion of faith and life with her origin.”
Pope Benedict XVI similarly emphasizes that episcopal succession is “a means of guaranteeing the faithful transmission of the Apostolic witness” and that “it is not merely a material sequence.” Rather, the Spirit uses this succession so that Christ’s teaching and sacramental life are present through ordained ministers.
The International Theological Commission notes that apostolic succession became a “permanent ground” for how the Catholic Church understood its nature—linking unity of word, mission, and ministry.
So when the Church speaks about immigration (as a moral and pastoral question), episcopal succession implies that the Church’s guidance should be a continuation of the Apostles’ witness—especially the Gospel’s demands regarding human dignity and care for the vulnerable—not a reaction to temporary agendas.
In 2025, Pope Francis praised bishops in the United States specifically for working with migrants and refugees while proclaiming Christ and promoting fundamental human rights.
This directly shows the connection: because bishops are successors who sustain the Church’s apostolic mission, their ministry naturally includes advocacy and service toward migrants and refugees, especially where human rights and dignity are at stake.
For example, Pope John Paul II highlighted the importance of meetings among bishops of frontier dioceses, describing how parishes and Catholic institutions are key reference points for immigrants arriving in a foreign country.
That is a practical consequence of succession: bishops, in communion with the Church’s apostolic mission, coordinate responses that are ecclesial (not merely governmental or NGO-based) and oriented toward real pastoral accompaniment.
Episcopal succession reflects the Church’s stance by ensuring the Church’s immigration teaching remains continuous in principles—especially solidarity, asylum, and the dignity of migrants—rather than shifting with political cycles.
A major European episcopal statement (COMECE, 2001) explicitly calls for respect of the right to asylum and for processes that guarantee dignity and high standards in assessing claims.
It also frames migration as challenging but requiring solidarity, explicitly naming solidarity as “the prime value” for which a society must cultivate relationships “in ever widening circles.”
Because bishops’ teaching and governance are rooted in apostolic succession, such insistence on asylum and dignity reflects an apostolic pattern: the Church’s public voice is meant to protect the vulnerable as part of her Gospel mission.
COMECE also stresses that the Church recognizes the right to emigrate (and to enter another country to seek better conditions), but that exercising it should be regulated so it does not harm the common good of the receiving community.
Crucially, it adds:
“A person who exercises his or her right to search for better living conditions by legitimate means should not be considered as a criminal simply for doing so.”
This kind of moral reasoning—balancing rights, regulation, and human dignity—is the sort of “word and life” continuity apostolic succession is meant to guarantee.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explains that Catholic teaching supports countries having the right to take measures against irregular immigration “with due respect for the human rights of all.”
At the same time, the USCCB states it supports legal immigration opportunities and due process rights, and it opposes an enforcement-only approach that leads to unjust penalties.
Thus the episcopal succession framework helps explain why the Church avoids both extremes: bishops are not simply implementing a partisan ideology; they are transmitting the apostolic moral lens the Church uses to judge immigration policy—human dignity, common good, justice, and mercy together.
The USCCB describes Catholic immigration ministry as including services such as aid for newly arrived migrants, resettlement and integration support for refugees (including navigating lawful employment, schooling, language, and local life), and also sacramental ministry for those in immigration detention.
It also clarifies that Catholic organizations advise migrants on steps to reunite with family or proceed with legal processes, and provide immigration-related legal services to help people comply with obligations in the immigration system.
This “incarnated” approach is exactly what apostolic succession implies when it is understood as continuity of “faith and life,” not merely continuity of ideas.
Episcopal succession reflects the Church’s stance on immigration because it anchors the Church’s leadership in a continuous apostolic mission: bishops, as successors, must preserve not only apostolic doctrine but also apostolic pastoral practice. This is why episcopal statements and episcopal-supported initiatives consistently emphasize human dignity, asylum and due process, solidarity, regulation for the common good, and compassionate accompaniment, while also insisting that even concerns about irregular immigration must be handled “with due respect for the human rights of all.”