Pope Francis appoints new auxiliary bishop of San Juan

Tomás González González, vicar general of the archdiocese, was appointed as auxiliary bishop of San Juan by Pope Francis late last week.

By The Star Staff

Pope Francis appointed Tomás González González, vicar general of the archdiocese, as the new auxiliary bishop of San Juan late last week.

“It is one more sign of his love and pastoral concern for the pilgrim Church in Puerto Rico,” Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves said in a written statement on Friday. González González, who was born on Aug. 23, 1968 in San Juan, is the son of Tomás González Pérez and Blanca González Santiago, natives of Lares.

González González’s episcopal ordination is scheduled for Nov. 18 at St. Teresita Church in Santurce at 11 a.m. González González, the current vicar general of the archdiocese, will join six other bishops appointed by Pope Francis in Puerto Rico since his pontificate.

With a priestly formation at the San Juan Bautista Regional Major Seminary from 1994 to 2000, González González has served in various important positions within the church. Prior to entering the seminary, he worked at American Eagle from 1992 to 1994, after earning a degree in business administration with a concentration in management in 1991.

“I have known Father Tomás since he was a seminarian and I was his ordinating bishop as a deacon and as a priest,” the archbishop said. “It is hoped that this new appointment will lead the Archdiocese into a new stage of growth and spiritual strengthening.”