PALM BEACH, Florida (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Father Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez bishop-elect of the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, upon accepting the resignation of Bishop Gerald Barbarito.
Rodríguez, a canon lawyer who was born and ordained in the Dominican Republic, has advocated for many illegal immigrants sought after by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the pastor of the mostly Hispanic Our Lady of Sorrows parish in Queens, New York, according to CBS News.
In diplomatically opposing the “indiscriminate mass deportation” of illegal immigrants, he has aligned himself with Pope Leo and most U.S. bishops in opposition to the policies of President Donald Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago residence is within Rodríguez’s diocese to-be.
“The president is doing really good things, not only for the United States, but for the world. But when it comes to the migrant, the immigration policy, we want to help,” Rodríguez told the Associated Press in a Friday interview. “We want to assist the president as a church because we believe that we can do better … than the way we’re doing this right now.”
“When it comes to enforcing immigration laws, we shouldn’t be enforcing them by focusing on deporting five-year-olds, 12-year-olds, nine-year-old kids, people that have never committed any crime. So, we’re here to help,” said Rodríguez.
However, such deportation efforts have focused on unaccompanied minors, who are vulnerable to exploitation without their parents or guardians in the U.S.
Rodríguez himself became a U.S. citizen in 2018, about six years after becoming incardinated into the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, on June 29, 2012.
Father James Martin praised Rodríguez as a “dynamic preacher” after the news of his episcopal appointment, alleging that the pastor has writings featured in the Jesuit, heterodox publication America magazine. Rodríguez’s pastoral work was featured by America in 2020.
In an interview with America at the time, he described his time living in Communist Cuba as the most difficult time of his life, but also the most pivotal for his priesthood.
“I am a priest today because of the year that I spent in Cuba,” shared Rodríguez. “I learned why it is important to serve Jesus as a minister.”
“It was the happiest time in my entire formation, because being there with people that don’t have anything, including freedom, people that have been deprived of important portions of dignity and respect … when you’re involved in that kind of situation, with the poorest of the poor, you understand Jesus more, what is the Gospel about, what is the faith about.
Willy Guardiola, president of the Palm Beach Right to Life League and founder of Christian on a Mission, has described Rodriguez as “very pro-life.”
Before being ordained to the priesthood, Rodríguez became a professed Salesian of Don Bosco on September 22, 2002.
In Queens, Rodríguez was promoter of justice and delegate of the diocesan bishop for penal cases.
