Pope Leo XIV, the first American to occupy the Holy See, made his first appointments since his ascension, choosing Michael Pham as the new bishop of San Diego, California, the Associated Press reported, BTA reports.
Pham, 58, had previously been an auxiliary bishop in the same diocese. His appointment fills the vacancy left by Pope Francis’ elevation of Cardinal Robert McElroy to archbishop of Washington, D.C., earlier this year.
A native of Da Nang, Vietnam, Pham was ordained a priest in San Diego in 1999 and will be ordained a bishop in 2023. He is responsible for the diocese’s ethnic programs and has served as its chief administrator since March. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the diocese of San Diego serves about 1.3 million Catholics in a population of approximately 3.5 million.
An interesting detail is that before becoming pope on May 8, Cardinal Robert Prevost headed the Vatican's Office for Episcopal Appointments, the body tasked with reviewing and approving Pham's file.
In his second appointment of the day, Pope Leo XIV also named a woman to a key role in the Vatican. Sister Tiziana Merletti, a jurist and expert in canon law, has been appointed as a substitute for the Congregation for Religious Orders. She will work alongside Sister Simona Brambilla, the first woman to head that important institution since her appointment by Pope Francis in January.
With this act, Leo XIV is showing his intention to continue his predecessor's efforts to increase the participation of women in the leadership of the Roman Curia.