Pope León XIV has appointed Fray Gerardo Antonio Vargas Cruz as the new coadjutor bishop of the Fajardo-Humacao Diocese, also known as the Diocese of El Yunque. Vargas Cruz will assist current Bishop Luis Miranda Rivera. The Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao announced the appointment in a press release, stating that Vargas Cruz will succeed Bishop Miranda Rivera in the future.
Vargas Cruz, born on December 2, 1976, in Mayagüez, is currently the episcopal vicar for the clergy of the San Juan Archdiocese. He has held various positions within the Catholic Church, including Master of Novices, national assistant of the Secular Order in Puerto Rico, and professor at the Universidad Central de Bayamón. The Fajardo-Humacao Diocese was created on March 11, 2008, by Pope Benedict XVI, with Monsignor Eusebio Ramos Morales as its first bishop. Bishop Miranda Rivera is the diocese’s second bishop.