Texas Border Business
Texas Border Business
November 13, 2025- Yesterday, the U.S. bishops elected Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville as their new vice president. Flores, a member of Catholic Extension’s Board of Governors since 2010, now steps into a role that “is often elected as the next president in three years,” according to Catholic Extension.
At the bishops’ November plenary meeting in Baltimore, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City was chosen as president, while Bishop Flores was selected as vice president. Catholic Extension described Flores as “an intellectual powerhouse and magnificent speaker,” and emphasized that his leadership is “grounded in his experience with and advocacy for the poor.”
Flores has led the Diocese of Brownsville since 2010, shepherding what Catholic Extension calls “the most densely Catholic diocese” in the country, with 1.2 million Catholics—about 85% of the population—across four counties along the U.S.–Mexico border. The region is also “one of the poorest…in the United States, according to U.S. Census data.” Flores has described this context as an opportunity for the Church, saying the Church must be “with the poor,” echoing Pope Leo’s vision.
After Pope Leo issued his first exhortation in 2025, Flores urged Catholics to read it, calling it “very profound, very spiritual, and…centered on the vision of Christ.” He added, “There should be no greater preoccupation for a Catholic…than to be where Christ is.”
Catholic Extension reports that Flores insists “the poor deserve beautiful things,” a principle visible in projects such as Plaza Amistad, a new community center in one of Texas’s poorest areas. Flores has also championed ministries serving migrants—including La Posada Providencia—and has worked with Sister Norma Pimentel to support shelters for asylum seekers on both sides of the border. “You have to go look for where Jesus is, and he’s not very far away at all,” he said.
Flores has also emphasized the Church’s spiritual mission, supporting the construction of churches like San Juan Diego Church in rural Citrus City so that “the spiritual needs” of the poor may be met.
His influence extends to the global Church as well. Pope Francis appointed him as a “presidential delegate” to the Synod on Synodality in 2023 and 2024, and later to the council responsible for implementing the synod’s results. Catholic Extension expects that as vice president of the USCCB, Flores will ensure that “the voices of the marginalized and poor are at the forefront of the minds of the bishops.”
Catholic Extension states that it will continue its mission “to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities among the poor in the poorest regions of America,” working alongside leaders like Bishop Flores.
