Church should embrace cultures, says first Vietnam-born head of US diocese

Joseph San Mateo/Crux• May 26, 2025

Bishop-elect Michael Pham of San Diego, the first Vietnamese-American to head a US diocese, hopes the Catholic Church will recognise its “multicultural” nature so that people of different races and ethnicities can celebrate their faith together.

Pham, 58, is the first American bishop to be appointed by Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff born in the United States. The Vatican announced his appointment on Thursday.

He is due to be installed on July 17.

At a press conference following the announcement, Pham said: “It’s wonderful news to know that a Vietnamese American, representing my heritage in the United States, can hopefully help the Church recognise the multicultural nature of this country — that we can all come together, celebrate our faith, and be united in Christ here.”

He added: “I believe, if we can do that, we will be a beacon of light, a beacon of hope, for our country and for our society.”

The Catholic Church in the US, he said, can also bring this hope to other parts of the world, as the country “consists of many races, ethnicities and languages”.

“But if we can come together as a people — and for us, particularly Catholics in this diocese, we have 22 ethnic communities — then on the celebration of Pentecost, we come together as the people of God. It’s such a beautiful sign of unity as a Church, as a people, as a human family, that we are able to be together,” Pham said.

Born in Da Nang, Vietnam, on January 22, 1967, Pham fled his native country in 1980 with his older sister and younger brother. He was then a 13-year-old refugee.

The three arrived at a refugee camp in Malaysia, and were later sponsored by an American family, arriving in Minnesota in 1981. Their parents and remaining siblings joined them in 1983. In 1985, the family moved to San Diego.

Pham completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in San Diego, and later entered Saint Francis Seminary at the University of San Diego. He completed his formation at Saint Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Diego on June 25, 1999.

Among his key appointments was his role as vicar for ethnic and intercultural affairs. The diocese said he “did groundbreaking work bringing together more than 20 of San Diego’s ethnic Catholic communities”.

In 2018, under Pham’s leadership, the diocese launched the annual Pentecost Mass for All Peoples, alongside a festival “celebrating our ethnic and cultural diversity”.

Pham was appointed auxiliary bishop of San Diego in June 2023. In March 2025, he was named diocesan administrator after the sixth bishop of the diocese, Cardinal Robert McElroy, was appointed Archbishop of Washington by the late Pope Francis.

At Thursday’s press conference, Pham was asked whether McElroy had influenced Pope Leo’s decision. He replied: “I think, with his voice, I’m sure he had some sort of a thumb on that.”

Asked whether he was concerned about being criticised by parts of the Church, as McElroy has been, Pham responded: “I hope that people can remember me, or see me, as a person who stays focused on Christ, and we move forward. Life is very important. And so it’s important that we pay attention and stay focused on how we take care of the people of God in our life, in our society today.”

The Diocese of San Diego includes approximately 1.38 million Catholics — around 40 per cent of a total civilian population of 3.45 million.

Photo: Bishop Michael Pham of San Diego. Credit: Diocese of San Diego.