U.S. Ambassador makes first visit to the Archdiocese of Santiago and meets with its archbishop

Santiago. – The ambassador of the United States accredited in the Dominican Republic, Leah Francis Campos, made an institutional visit on Wednesday to the metropolitan archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santiago, Monsignor Héctor Rafael Rodríguez, marking her first official approach to both the archdiocese and the city of Santiago since her diplomatic appointment. During the cordial and fraternal meeting, both authorities exchanged impressions on the reality of Dominican society, addressing social, cultural, and religious issues, as well as aspects related to bilateral relations between the Dominican Republic and the United States. The auxiliary bishop, Monsignor Amauri Rosario, also participated in the meeting; Monsignor Valentín Reynoso; the priest Eduardo Núñez Collado and the vicar of the Cathedral, Regino Collado, who accompanied the leader of the Catholic Church in Santiago.

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As part of the visit, the archdiocesan authorities offered the diplomat a tour of the Cathedral of Santiago Apóstol el Mayor, where she could appreciate its chapels, sculptures, and murals, distinctive elements of this emblematic eclectic-style temple, built in 1895 and considered one of the main religious and cultural heritages of the city. Leah Francis Campos was appointed United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic by President Donald Trump on October 7, 2025, and has since been developing an outreach agenda with different institutional sectors of the country.