Manuel Antonio Ruíz de la Rosa

Manuel Antonio Ruíz de la Rosa, commonly referred to as Manuel Ruíz, (born 27 August 1965) is a Roman Catholic bishop from the Dominican Republic with a history of involvement in social initiatives. As of 2025, Ruíz serves as the first bishop of the Diocese of Stella Maris.

Early life and education Ruíz was born 27 August 1965 in Bayaguana, a municipality in the Dominican Republic's Monte Plata Province. He is one of 17 siblings.

Priesthood After completing seminary, Ruíz was ordained a priest on 10 July 1993 by Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez. He was incardinated as a priest for the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo. As a parish priest, Ruíz was known for his leadership, dedicated work, and sensitivity. He has been especially dedicated to areas of education, communication, ecology, and healthcare.

Social initiatives Ruíz has received attention for many public projects, especially in Santo Domingo Este's poorer neighborhoods, such as El Dique.

He founded Movearte Colegio, a school built largely of recycled materials rescued from the Ozama River. Ruíz oversees a hospital boat, "the ark of mercy," which runs on the Ozama and is serviced by a separate ambulance boat. Ruíz established a Bible park, which incorporates biblical narratives in a natural area.

In 2014, he resigned from his position as CED governmental liaison following Danilo Medina's veto of a full abortion ban. Immediately before resigning, Ruíz issued a note accusing Medina and Leonel Fernández of compromising values for the sake of reelection. Ruíz later clarified that his values were at odds with Medina's decision, so he could not continue as church-state liaison in good faith.

2016 Wally Brewster protest Ruíz became the subject of criticism in 2016. As a school chaplain of San Juan Bautista de la Salle in Santo Domingo, he placed signs banning U.S. Ambassador Wally Brewster from school property and describing Brewster's presence as "inappropriate." Brewster faced backlash from both Catholic and Evangelical leaders throughout his diplomatic tenure in the Dominican Republic due to Brewster's same-sex marriage and alleged governmental interference.

Handling of Wesołowski abuse allegations Ruíz's 2016 protest against Ambassador Brewster reawakened criticism for the church's handling of sexual abuse allegations against nuncio Józef Wesołowski three years prior. Dominican courts later threw out these allegations.

Episcopacy On 27 August 2025, Pope Leo XIV erected the Diocese of Stella Maris and appointed Ruíz to be its first bishop.

Early in October 2025, Bishop-Elect Ruíz visited Rome. During that visit, Ruíz met Leo at an audience and invited the pope to visit the Dominican Republic.

He was consecrated a bishop by Piergiorgio Bertoldi, papal nuncio to the Dominican Republic, on 8 November 2025. The altar used during the ceremony was shaped like a boat. Ruíz's episcopal ordination was attended by both ecclesial and civil Dominican leader, including President Luis Abinader, former President Leonel Fernández, and Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez. Also in attendance were bishops from Haiti, the mainland United States, and Puerto Rico.