A Vatican-ordered investigation into a Chaldean Catholic bishop in San Diego has prompted clarification from a priest in neighboring Tijuana, who says recent coverage has caused confusion about who serves as bishop of the broader San Diego Catholic community.
The inquiry involves Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, following allegations of financial misconduct and inappropriate conduct. According to the Catholic outlet The Pillar, the Vatican investigation was launched after concerns over unusual financial activity and possible misuse of charitable funds. Civil authorities are also reportedly reviewing the matter. Shaleta submitted his resignation in January 2026, but the Vatican has not accepted it, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Amid reports referring to Shaleta as “the bishop of San Diego,” Father José Luis Méndez of the Archdiocese of Tijuana said that description is inaccurate.
“It is not precise to call him the bishop of San Diego,” Méndez told San Diego Red. “He is bishop only for those baptized in the Chaldean rite.”
Who is Bishop Michael Pham?
The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego is Michael M. Pham.
According to the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, Pope Pope Leo XIV appointed Pham as the seventh bishop of San Diego on May 22, 2025. He became the first Vietnamese American to lead a U.S. diocese and was formally installed on July 17, 2025.
Pham arrived in the United States from Vietnam as a refugee at age 13, first settling in Minnesota before moving with his family to San Diego. He graduated from San Diego State University and later completed seminary formation at St. Francis and St. Patrick’s seminaries. Ordained a priest in 1999, he served in several local parishes and later held diocesan leadership roles, including director of vocations and vicar general, before being named bishop.
The Diocese of San Diego covers San Diego and Imperial counties and includes 96 parishes, 39 Catholic elementary schools and seven Catholic high schools.
Méndez emphasized that most Catholics in the region belong to the Latin Rite and therefore fall under Pham’s pastoral authority.
“For the vast majority of Catholics in San Diego, the bishop is Bishop Michael Pham,” he said.
Who is Bishop Emanuel Hana Shaleta?
Shaleta was born in 1956 in Iraq and entered the minor seminary near Mosul at age 15. He later studied philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. He earned a doctorate in biblical theology and served in parishes in the United States and Canada before being appointed bishop.
In 2017, Pope Francis named him bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle in San Diego.
The Chaldean Catholic Church is one of 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome. While fully Catholic and under papal authority, each Eastern Church maintains its own liturgical traditions and serves faithful of its specific rite.
Méndez said that distinction is essential to understanding the current situation.
“The Chaldean rite has its own liturgy and traditions,” he explained. “It is different from the Latin Rite that most Catholics in San Diego belong to.”
Call for patience
Méndez also urged Catholics not to rush to judgment while the investigation into Shaleta remains unresolved.
“There is an investigation underway, and the Vatican has not issued a final ruling,” he said. “We must allow the process to take its course.”
He reiterated that Bishop Pham remains the diocesan bishop responsible for the broader Catholic community in San Diego, while Shaleta’s jurisdiction is limited to Catholics baptized in the Chaldean rite.
The Vatican has not issued a final determination in the case, and both church and civil inquiries remain ongoing.
