ROME — Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of the second Trump Administration.
McElroy, 70, replaces Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who at 77 is two years beyond the normal retirement age for bishops.
Francis has long had his eye on McElroy, making him bishop of San Diego in 2015 and then elevating him as a cardinal in 2022.
He has also questioned why the U.S. bishops’ conference, which has leaned conservative in its leadership, consistently insists on identifying abortion as its “preeminent” priority.
The Archdiocese of Washington includes the District of Columbia and five Maryland counties of Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Charles.
ROME— On Monday, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, appointing one of his most progressive allies to lead the Catholic Church in the United States. S. capital at the beginning of the second Trump term.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who is two years older than the typical retirement age for bishops at 77, is replaced by McElroy, 70.
The Vatican released a statement on Monday announcing the appointment.
McElroy has long been a target for Francis, who appointed him bishop of San Diego in 2015 and then promoted him to cardinal in 2022.
McElroy has been among the few U. S. Bishops are vehemently opposing the effort to bar Catholic politicians who advocate for abortion rights from Communion; Francis has publicly denounced this effort by stating that bishops must be pastors, not politicians.
He’s also asked why the U.S. A. Abortion is constantly cited as the bishops’ conference’s “preeminent” priority, despite the conference’s conservative leadership. He has questioned why issues like racism, poverty, immigration, and climate change have not received more attention.
To further align himself with Francis’ priorities as pope, he has also denounced the bullying that LGBTQ+ youth frequently face and expressed support for them.
Two weeks after Donald Trump takes office in January, McElroy is appointed to Washington. Brian Burch was nominated as U. A. ambassador to the Holy See. Francis and some of his policies have drawn criticism on social media from Burch, president and co-founder of the advocacy organization CatholicVote.
Francis made the appointment in advance of his last meeting with President Joe Biden, who is traveling to Italy this week for his final international trip. After meeting with Francis in 2021, Biden claimed that the pope instructed him to keep receiving Communion in spite of his views on abortion.
In a church in Rome, he subsequently received the sacrament.
The five Maryland counties of Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. George’s, and the District of Columbia are all part of the Archdiocese of Washington. Calvert, Charles, and Mary’s. Of the 3,050,847 people living there, 671,187 are Catholic.
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