Roy Edward Campbell

Roy Edward Campbell Jr. (born November 19, 1947) is an African-American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington in the District of Columbia (2017–2026). Biography

Priesthood Campbell was born on November 19, 1947, in Pomonkey, Maryland, to Roy Edward Campbell, Sr. and Julia Ann (Chesley) Campbell. He has three brothers and two sisters. Roy Campbell attended Bruce Elementary Public School and then Shrine of the Sacred Heart School. Campbell graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington in 1965. Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick provided Campbell with an exemption for his age. After his 2007 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Campbell as parochial vicar at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington.

Campbell was involved in controversy in the fall of 2025 when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published—and latter pulled—DEI means God, a reflective essay he wrote concerning the diversity, equity, and inclusion policies of the second Trump administration.

On May 1, 2026, Pope Leo XIV accepted his resignation after reaching and surpassing the customary retirement age of 75.