Pope names Gerardo Antonio Vargas Cruz Coadjutor Bishop of Fajardo-Humacao

In brief

Pope Francis has appointed Gerardo Antonio Vargas Cruz, O.F.M., as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Fajardo-Humacao in Puerto Rico. Vargas Cruz previously served as the vicar general for clergy in the Archdiocese of San Juan.

Born in Mayagüez on December 2, 1976, Vargas Cruz completed his novitiate in the Dominican Republic and earned a degree in social work and a master in divinity from the Universidad Central de Bayamón. After making his solemn profession in 2004, he was ordained a priest on August 12, 2006.

His previous roles include serving as a master of novices, assistant national for the Order Secolare in Puerto Rico, and custodian of the Custodia Francescana del Caraibe. He has also worked as a professor at the Universidad Central de Bayamón, a radio program director, a prison chaplain in Bayamón, and a collaborator with the Conference of Religious in Puerto Rico.