Pope Leo Appoints Three Anti-Trump Bishops Amid White House Feud

From Newsweek

Pope Leo XIV has appointed three new U.S. bishops who have expressed criticism of President Donald Trump's actions.

Washington auxiliary bishop Evelio Menjivar has been named as the new bishop for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston covering West Virginia, according to the Catholic Standard.

Father Gary Studniewski and Father Robert Boxie III have also been named as new auxiliary bishops for the Archdiocese of Washington.

Menjivar previously criticized the Trump administration's immigration policies, writing in the the National Catholic Reporter last April: "the federal government has pursued a 'shock and awe' campaign of aggressive threats and highly visible operations of questionable legality that go far beyond mere immigration 'enforcement.'"

Boxie previously expressed concern over Trump's efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the U.S.

"In a lot of ways we have made great progress, but in so many ways, I feel like we're regressing," Boxie told OSV News. "It's really frustrating — especially this moment that we’re living in. The attacks on 'DEI' — I don't even know what that means anymore. It's a term that's been hijacked. It means a lot of things to a lot of different people."

Meanwhile, Studniewski previously criticized the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021, describing it as "very disturbing, very disheartening."

"It was a normal day, until all that sickening unrest in the afternoon," he said, according to the Catholic Standard.

Pope Leo's announcement comes amid a public feud with Trump after he criticized the U.S. war in Iran in April.