ROME (AP) — 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.
The Vatican announced the appointment in a statement Monday.
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.
"I am now being called to leave a Catholic Community in San Diego that I have come to love very deeply, and there is so much sadness in that reality for me," McElroy said in a Monday morning press conference in Washington, D.C.
McElroy has been one of a minority of U.S. bishops harshly criticizing the campaign to exclude Catholic politicians who support abortion rights from Communion, a campaign Francis has publicly criticized by insisting that bishops must be pastors, not politicians.
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. He has questioned why greater prominence was not given to issues such as racism, poverty, immigration and climate change.
He has also expressed support for LGBTQ+ youth and denounced the bullying often directed at them, further aligning himself with Francis’ priorities as pope.
McElroy’s appointment to Washington comes just a few weeks after Donald Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, nominated Brian Burch as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Burch, president and co-founder of the advocacy group CatholicVote, has criticized Francis and some of his policies on social media.
"As your pastor, an essential element of my mission is to encounter the hearts and souls of the disciples who form our local Church. For this reason, during the coming months, I will undertake a series of meetings focusing on the priests of the Archdiocese and the lay leadership of our parishes, which will be an initial step in my process of coming to know the Archdiocese of Washington," McElroy said.
Francis made the appointment ahead of his final meeting with President Joe Biden, who is making a last foreign trip to Italy this week. Biden emerged from a 2021 meeting with Francis by saying the pope told him to continue receiving Communion despite his position on abortion.
He later received the sacrament at a Rome church.
The Archdiocese of Washington includes the District of Columbia and five Maryland counties of Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Charles. It has a total population of 3,050,847, of which 671,187 are Catholic.
"Washington is a splendid community of faith, love and service. I feel grace to be your bishop," McElroy said.
According to a press release from the San Diego Diocese, McElroy will officially be installed as the Washington, D.C. area archbishop in March. An administrator will be appointed to run the San Diego diocese until a new bishop takes over.
