Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez recently had an interview with WPBF 25 News:
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — After nearly two decades under previous leadership, the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach is entering a new era.
Bishop Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez officially became the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in February, stepping into the role at a time of rapid growth across South Florida. Just months into the position, the longtime New Yorker says he has already been deeply moved by the warmth and faith of the communities he now serves.
The bishop said the journey to Palm Beach began with a life-changing phone call from the Vatican on Dec. 17 — a moment he says he will never forget.
Bishop Manuel de Jesus Rodriguez, the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It was difficult to leave New York,” Rodriguez said. “I was very happy there.”
Ordained and installed on Feb. 24, Rodriguez has spent much of his first three months traveling across the diocese, visiting parishes and Catholic schools throughout the region.
The Diocese of Palm Beach faces a dramatically different reality than many Catholic dioceses in the Northeast. While churches in cities like New York continue grappling with parish consolidations and closures, Palm Beach County and the surrounding region are seeing continued population growth.
“While in Palm Beach, the talk is mostly, ‘Where should we open the new parish?’” Rodriguez said. “We are getting a lot of people from the South, and a lot of people are coming from the North.”
To prepare for that growth, Rodriguez plans to launch a major diocesan listening session early next year aimed at shaping a new pastoral plan for the future of the church in South Florida.
One of his top priorities is reconnecting younger generations with the church.
But the bishop says his vision for the diocese extends beyond expansion. It also includes strengthening accountability within the church.
Rodriguez holds a doctorate in canon law and is taking leadership of a diocese that, like many across the country, has spent years recovering from the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis. He praised his predecessor, Bishop Gerald Barbarito, for helping stabilize the diocese while emphasizing that church leadership must remain accountable.
“Now we have a system in the church to go after bishops that are not doing what they’re supposed to,” Rodriguez said. “We never had that before.”
The bishop has also emerged as an advocate for migrant children and families. He recently voiced concerns over federal funding cuts affecting Catholic Charities programs serving unaccompanied minors and publicly appealed to First Lady Melania Trump on social media.
“This is not a political initiative in any way,” Rodriguez said. “It focuses on the kids that are already in American territory alone by themselves.”
Visit WPBF.com to watch the bishop's video interview.
