WASHINGTON (OSV News) ─ Pope Leo XIV has named a new bishop for the Diocese of Laredo, Texas, marking the first episcopal succession in a diocese created by St. John Paul II.
On May 1 the pope accepted the resignation of Bishop James A. Tamayo, who has led the diocese from its 2000 inception, and named as his successor Father John Jairo Gomez, vicar general of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas.
The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington May 1 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The 76-year-old Bishop Tamayo had submitted his resignation upon turning 75 as required by canon law.
Bishop-designate Gomez was born in Colombia and ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Tyler on May 23, 2009. He served as vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Tyler from 2015 to 2023 and has also been serving in the role again since 2025.
Founded on July 3, 2000, the Diocese of Laredo combined portions of the Diocese of Corpus Christi and the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
