Fr. Luis Carlos Lerma Martínez is a new bishop of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico

The Diocese of Nuevo Laredo, recognized for being in one of the main border steps in Mexico to the United States, will have a new bishop. Pope Leo XIV appointed Fr. Luis Carlos Lerma Martínez, 63, of the Presbytery of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua.

The official announcement was made by the Holy See in Mexico by the Apostolic Nunciature, through the General Secretariat of the Mexican Episcopate Conference (CEM). In their statement, the bishops of the country expressed their prayers and desires of pastoral success for the new prelate in their episcopal parcel.

The headquarters of Nuevo Laredo remained vacant since 2023, when the previous bishop, Mons. Enrique Sánchez Martínez, was transferred by Pope Francis to the Diocese of Mexicali, where he took possession that same year.

A diocese marked by the migratory phenomenon

Located on the border with Laredo, Texas (United States), the Diocese of Nuevo Laredo has become one of the most traveled routes by migrants seeking to cross north. In this region, temporary settlements have been formed where hundreds of people expect the possibility of continuing their way or regularizing their situation.

The Catholic Church, together with various civil organizations, has maintained an active work of humanitarian and spiritual accompaniment with whom they live migratory traffic in the area.

At a press conferenceAfter the announcement, Mons. Lerma Martínez acknowledged that he feels “fear” for the responsibility he assumes at his age, but said he accepts the mission and has “asked God to enlighten me, to give me the necessary wisdom to be a good shepherd for that diocese, that he will not disappoint them.”

The new bishop told the media that his pastoral work will seek to reach “the hearts of people” and promote an authentic conversion.

“Our evangelizing work is for people to accept Jesus Christ, our Lord, as the center and Lord of their lives. To the extent that we achieve it, we can have better people, better families and a better society,” he said.

Who is Fr. Luis Carlos Lerma Martínez?

He was born on July 21, 1962 in the city of Delicias, in the state of Chihuahua. At 20, he entered the Archdiocesan Seminary and was ordered priest on October 14, 1993. In 2006 he obtained a degree in Biblical Theology from the Pontifical University of Mexico.

His pastoral service has been broad and diverse. Among his positions, he served as a diocesan economo, he was also a trainer and prefect of theology of the Archdiocesan Seminary of Chihuahua in two periods: from 2003 to 2006 and from 2009 to 2011.

In a special way, the new bishop has shown closeness with people deprived of liberty, as it was chaplain of the Social Readaptation Center (Cereso) in Santa Eulalia and spiritual advisor to the diocesan penitentiary pastoral between 2009 and 2011.

Since December 21, 2010 he served as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Chihuahua, a position he occupied simultaneously while he was pastor of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Chihuahua between 2011 and 2017, and again from August 2023 until his recent appointment. He was also pastor of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe de Chihuahua from 2017 to 2023.