Pope Leo XIV Appoints New Bishop of Diocese of Venice
The appointment follows Biosca Agüero’s criticism of immigration raids, which have detained or deported more than 40 parishioners at his Washington parish.
- On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV named Father Emilio Biosca Agüero as the new Bishop of the Venice Diocese, Florida, replacing retiring Bishop Frank Dewane after two decades of service. Biosca will assume leadership on July 11.
- A vocal defender of migrants, Biosca previously led the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, a predominantly immigrant parish where he criticized federal immigration crackdowns targeting Hispanic congregants in President Donald Trump's adopted home state.
- Attendance at Sacred Heart services dropped 20 percent as parishioners feared public visibility. Biosca, who spent over a decade in Papua New Guinea and Cuba as a missionary, described enforcement targeting anyone who 'just looked Hispanic' as 'very unbearable.'
- Biosca is the second cleric from the Washington Archdiocese critical of Trump's immigration policies to be selected as a diocese head this month. Similar papal moves have placed Central America-connected clergy in prominent positions overseeing conservative areas.
- Spanning more than 9,000 square miles, the Venice Diocese covers reliably Republican Catholic territory across Florida's Gulf Coast. During his introductory press conference, Biosca stated, 'Well, I've been in the diocese for about one day,' signaling his measured approach to the transition.
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Pastor who attacked 'unbearable' Trump policy put in charge of hard-MAGA diocese
Pope Leo XIV has once again named a pastor critical of the Trump administration's mass deportation policy to a high-ranking church position — this time overseeing a deeply conservative diocese.According to Christopher Hale's "Letters from Leo," Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, who runs the Shrine of the...
National Catholic Register
catholicworldreport.comPope Leo XIV Appoints Capuchin Priest and Former Missionary to Lead Florida Diocese
Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap, as the third bishop of Venice, Florida, on May 13, 2026. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of Venice, Florida The pope also accepted Wednesday the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who led the Diocese of Venice, Florida, since 2007.
Our missionary pope names a missionary priest as a US bishop - Deacon Greg Kandra
From EWTN: Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, OFM Cap, as the third bishop of Venice, Florida, on May 13. The Capuchin Franciscan priest has been pastor of the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, D.C., since 2018 and served for more than 20 years as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and Cuba. The pope also accepted the resignation of Bishop Frank J. Dewane, 76, who has reached the usual age of retirement after leading the…
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