Cardinal Gregory

I would be remiss in not mentioning that Pope Francis has named Archbishop Wilton Gregory, presently leading the archdiocese containing DC, a cardinal of the Church. From ABC 7 Chicago:

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis on Sunday named 13 new cardinals, including Washington D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who would become the first Black U.S. prelate to earn the coveted red hat.

Gregory was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago on May 9, 1973.

In a surprise announcement from his studio window to faithful standing below in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on Nov. 28.

Gregory was picked by Francis to lead the prestigious diocese in the U.S. capital last year. He served three times as the head of the U.S. Conference of Bishops.

“By naming Archbishop Wilton Gregory as a Cardinal, Pope Francis is sending a powerful message of hope and inclusion to the Church in the United States,” Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles said. Gomez is also the current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “As a former president of our national bishops’ conference, Archbishop Gregory displayed generous and principled leadership. The naming of the first African American cardinal from the United States gives us an opportunity to pause and offer thanks for the many gifts African American Catholics have given the Church. Please join me in praying for the continued ministry of Archbishop Gregory.”

I am acquainted with now Cardinal Gregory from his early days as a priest. Unmentioned in the articles I’ve read is the important role he played in framing the Archidiocese of Chicago’s policy on sexual abuse by priests, tougher than that of a lot of other dioceses.

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