Pope names new bishop of Ponce

By THE STAR STAFF

Monsignor Geraldo Ramírez Torres has been appointed the new bishop of Ponce and will be ordained on August 15, priest Orlando Lugo confirmed in a radio interview.

This marks the first episcopal appointment in Puerto Rico by Pope Leo XIV, following the resignation of Bishop Rubén Antonio González Medina.

Lugo highlighted Ramírez Torres’s 35‑year career in education and his long-standing ministry to the incarcerated population. He noted that in his first public appearance as bishop‑designate, Ramírez Torres plans to make a special dedication to people who are imprisoned.

“It is a Gospel mandate, a work of mercy, an obligation of the Church,” Lugo said.

José A. Frontera Agenjo, president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (PUCPR), celebrated the announcement, expressing gratitude for Bishop González Medina’s service and welcoming Ramírez Torres as the new bishop and ex officio grand chancellor of the institution.

Frontera Agenjo said the university receives the new bishop “with joy, hope, and filial affection,” and pledged support for his pastoral mission.

Lugo also clarified that the appointment of a new archbishop for San Juan—a post vacated by Archbishop Roberto González’s resignation—could occur at any time, as it is independent of other diocesan processes.

He declined to speculate on whether the current bishop of Mayagüez, Ángel Luis Ríos Matos, might be selected for the role.

“Any bishop currently in Puerto Rico is capable of exercising the functions with dignity and responsibility,” Lugo said, adding that speculation rarely proves accurate.