Today it was announced in Rome that the Pope Francisco appointed Father Ángel Luis Ríos Matos as the new Bishop for the Diocese of Mayagüez.
“We deeply thank Pope Francis for this appointment. Once again, Pope Francis shows us his closeness by giving us a new Bishop. In seven months, Pope Francis has given us two bishops for the Church in Puerto Rico, two sons of this homeland, “said the Archbishop of San Juan, Roberto González Nieves.
The Bishop Elect was born on October 5, 1956 in watery, Puerto Rico and he comes from a large family since he has 14 brothers and sisters. He was ordained a priest on January 11, 1985 in his hometown of Aguada. He has a BA with a concentration in Philosophy from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (PUCPR), a BA with concentration in Theology from the Javeriana University of Bogotá (Nucleus of Caracas), and a doctorate in Canon Law from the same university.
It is currently Judicial Vicar of the Diocese of Mayagüez and Pastor of the San Sebastián Mártir Parish in San Sebastián, Puerto Rico. Previously, he had been Pastor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Mayagüez. He has also served as professor of Canon Law.
“We wholeheartedly congratulate Father Ángel Luis Ríos on the election to the episcopate that Pope Francis has made for him and on his appointment as Bishop of Mayagüez. As Judicial Vicar of Mayagüez, he has been of great help in preparing the protocol of the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference (CEP) to attend cases of alleged improper conduct in the dioceses of Puerto Rico. As a priest he has served with fidelity and pastoral zeal in all his assignments and has been a great collaborator of the past two bishops of his diocese. He is a great preacher, a priest of great sensitivity and humility, “he said. González Nieves.
“Similarly, we thank Brother Bishop, Monsignor Álvaro Corrada del Río, SJ, who wisely pastored the Diocese of Mayagüez since September 2011 as its second Bishop. “Said the Archbishop of San Juan.
“I congratulate the clergy, men and women religious, catechists and all the faithful of Mayagüez for the appointment of their new Bishop. I know that in Father Bishop Ángel Luis they will have a Bishop with a great pastor’s heart. I ask for your prayers for the Bishop Elect, for Monsignor Corrada and for the eternal rest of the soul of its first Bishop, whom we will always remember with affection and gratitude, Monsignor Ulises Casiano Vargas, “González concluded.
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