The Diocese of El Salvador has announced five nominees, including two priests of the Episcopal Church, in seeking its next bishop. An election on August 23 will choose the successor of the Rt. Rev. Martin de Jesús Barahona, Bishop of El Salvador since 1992.
The five nominees are:
- The Rev. Ricardo Bernal, a priest of the Diocese of El Salvador who represents Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America in the Episcopal Church’s work on Anglican and Global Relations
- The Rev. Juan David Alvarado of San Salvador
- The Rev. Juan Antonio Méndez
- The Rev. Vidal Rivas, senior priest at St. Matthew’s/San Mateo Parish in Hyattsville, Maryland
- The Rev. Lee Alison Crawford, a priest in the Diocese of Vermont who has served as a canon missioner to El Salvador since 2004
Barahona was the first elected Bishop of El Salvador. He drew criticism from other Central American bishops after attending Gene Robinson’s consecration as Bishop of New Hampshire. He escaped unharmed in 2010 when a man tried to shoot him. He has served as primate of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America for eight years.
Crawford has served as a deputy to General Convention since 1997, a member of the church’s Executive Council, and a prominent advocate of blessing same-sex couples.
Rivas, a native of El Salvador and a former Roman Catholic priest, was received into the Episcopal Church in 2008.
Douglas LeBlanc is an Associate Editor and writes about Christianity and culture. He and his wife, Monica, attend St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Henrico, Virginia.
