A large Roman Catholic diocese pushed back on criticism Friday after Pope Leo XIV appointed a former illegal immigrant as 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 the increased immigration enforcement m...
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