Newly named Puerto Rico bishop says appointment ‘manifestation’ of God’s ‘goodness, love’

PONCE, Puerto Rico (OSV News) — Bishop-designate Geraldo Ramírez Torres gave sincere thanksgiving to God for his June 24 appointment by Pope Leo XIV to succeed Bishop Rubén Antonio González Medina of Ponce, who is retiring.

Admitting the appointment as the Ponce Diocese’s new shepherd took him by surprise, he said he humbly acknowledges “that every ministry in the Church is, first and foremost, a manifestation of the goodness and tender love of God, our Father. At the same time, it is a call to serve.”

“Aware, dear brothers and sisters, of my limitations, my frailties and my shortcomings, I accept this mission relying solely on the grace of Christ and on the power and strength of the Holy Spirit,” the bishop-designate said at a press conference held at the Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Ponce on the day of his appointment.

The same day, Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Bishop González, a member of the Claretian order, who has headed the Diocese of Ponce for more than 10 years. He is 77, two years past the age when canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope.

Bishop González presented his successor at the press conference, calling him “a man of true character” who is distinguished by “his serene and contagious joy, his human warmth, his ability to listen and his good humor.”

“He knows the history, the struggles, the hopes and the dreams of our people. That is why he arrives, not as a stranger, but as a son of this diocesan family who is taking on a new mission,” Bishop González said, highlighting the new bishop’s ties and commitment to the diocese.

“Dear Monsignor Geraldo, the Church of Ponce welcomes you with filial affection and with the confidence that the Lord, who began this good work in you, will bring it to fulfillment,” he said, addressing Bishop-designate Ramírez. “You can always count on our prayers, our affection, and our collaboration.”

Bishop-designate Ramírez, 58, has been serving as vicar general of the diocese since 2021. He has also been a rector of the Ponce cathedral and a parish priest at the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Merced since 2024.

He sought to give words of encouragement and hope to the faithful of the diocese, saying, “God always remains faithful to his promises,” and “he has accompanied this diocese throughout its century-long history and will continue to do so in the present and in the future.”

“I want to walk with you as a brother and pastor. I ask the Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary that we may be a family where we all feel loved, valued and called to participate in the same mission of evangelization,” he said.

Bishop-designate Ramírez’s episcopal motto will be “Stay with us, Lord” — “Quédate con nosotros, Señor” in Spanish — inspired by the words of the disciples who met the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus.

“There are people who worry about so many things and say they need so many things, but we need only one thing: Jesus Christ,” he added. He encouraged people to always live with hope “because when Jesus Christ is within us, everything can be overcome”

He will be the ninth bishop of the Ponce Diocese, which covers the southern part of the island of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States.

No details have been officially released yet on his episcopal ordination and installation Mass, but Bishop-designate Ramírez said during a June 25 interview with El Visitante de Puerto Rico, the official weekly newspaper of the Catholic Church in Puerto Rico, that the ordination and installation likely will take place Aug. 15.

He will also be the first priest born, raised and trained entirely in the Diocese of Ponce to be appointed its bishop.

Geraldo Ramírez Torres was born in Villalba, Puerto Rico, on Nov. 17, 1967, the son of Andrés Ramírez Torres and Emma Torres Rivera, and the 10th of 13 children.

He entered the diocesan seminary of Ponce and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Ponce Nov. 19, 1991.

Since his ordination, he has been a parochial vicar, parish administrator or parish priest at a number of parishes. He was diocesan consultant for Catholic youth from 1994 to 1998. Since 2006, he has been spiritual director of the Cursillos de Cristiandad movement.

According to El Visitante, which covers the six Catholic dioceses of Puerto Rico, he has served as coordinator of the diocesan prison ministry and national deputy director of that ministry. In addition, he has been chaplain of Sagrado Corazón School for more than two decades, moderator of the diocesan curia, director of ongoing formation for the clergy, and diocesan director of the Commission for the Prevention of Abuse and the Promotion of Safe Environments.

“His priestly ministry has been particularly marked by three great pastoral concerns: the sick, those deprived of their liberty, and young people,” El Visitante reported. “These aspects have defined much of his evangelizing service and his closeness to those who most need the Church’s comforting presence.”

“Those who know him highlight his deep Marian spirituality, his steadfast dedication to the study of sacred Scripture, his remarkable ability to provide pastoral leadership, and his special sensitivity in listening to, accompanying, and discerning alongside the people of God.”

He is described as “an approachable priest, a brother among brothers, a man of communion and a missionary spirit, he has a deep understanding of the joys, challenges and hopes of the communities that make up the Church in southern Puerto Rico.”

El Visitante also said that the Diocese of Ponce expressed “its deepest gratitude” to Bishop González, for his “generous dedication” during his decade as bishop.

“His episcopal ministry has left an indelible mark on the pastoral, spiritual, and missionary life of this particular Church,” El Visitante said. “The clergy, men and women religious, and the lay faithful offer prayers of gratitude for his service and ask the Lord to continue blessing his life and ministry abundantly.”

Born Feb. 9, 1949, in Santurce, Puerto Rico, the future Bishop González entered the Claretian novitiate in Salvatierra in the Álava province of Spain. He made his temporary vows in 1967 and his perpetual vows in November 1972 in Puerto Rico. He was ordained a priest Feb. 9, 1975.

In 1999, he was appointed superior general of the Claretian Missionaries of the Antilles. He was named the bishop of the Diocese of Caguas, Puerto Rico, with his episcopal ordination taking place Feb. 4, 2001. On Dec. 22, 2015, he was named bishop of Ponce and was installed Jan. 31, 2016.

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