Armando Xavier Ochoa

Armando Xavier Ochoa (born April 9, 1943) is an American Catholic retired prelate who served as bishop of Fresno in California (2011 to 2019), bishop of El Paso in Texas (1996 to 2011) and as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California (1986 to 1996).

Biography

Early life Armando Xavier Ochoa was born on April 9, 1943, in Oxnard, California. The second child of Angel and Mary Ochoa, he attended Santa Clara Elementary School in that city. Ochoa graduated from Santa Clara High School in 1961, then entered St. John's Seminary College in Camarillo, California, in 1962 and later, St. John's Seminary School of Theology in Camarillo.

Priesthood Ochoa was ordained into the priesthood by Cardinal Timothy Manning for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on May 23, 1970. Ochoa was consecrated on February 23, 1987, at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena by Cardinal Roger Mahony.

On March 5, 2019, Pope Francis accepted Ochoa's letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Fresno.

Positions Ochoa considers the ordination of woman priests to be a moot point due to papal opposition; he believes that gay men and lesbians should remain celibate in accordance with Catholic doctrine requiring all unmarried people to remain celibate; he believes that the priest shortage will be solved through faith rather than through allowing priests to marry; and he fears that teaching children about condoms in a school setting would send a "mixed message" regarding premarital sex.

Ochoa is an advocate of diocesan foster care programs and responsible water use.