Pope Francis announced Sunday that he will name Washington DC archbishop Wilton Gregory a cardinal next month, making him the first African American to hold the esteemed title in the US.
The announcement came as the pope announced 13 cardinals, including Gregory, 72, in the new class to earn the coveted red hat.
The promotion comes as the Bishop of Rome seeks to rebuild trust in the archdiocese following sexual abuse scandals.
Washington archbishops are typically named cardinals after their appointments, but Gregory's appointment is a historic one as black people are underrepresented in leadership within the US Catholic Church.
In a surprise announcement from his studio window to the faithful standing below in St. Peter's Square, Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal's rank in a ceremony on November 28.
Pope Francis announced Sunday that he will name Washington DC archbishop Wilton Gregory, 72, a cardinal next month, making him the first African American to earn the esteemed title in the US. Gregory pictured in June 2019
The pope named 13 new cardinals in a surprise announcement on Sunday from his studio window to faithful standing below in St. Peter's Square. Pictured above delivering his message during the Angelus noon prayer at the Vatican
Pope Francis waves at the end of his Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square at the Vatican on Sunday
Gregory is one of the most prominent leaders in the Catholic Church in the US. He led the national conference of Catholic bishops in the early 2000’s when it was making its first anti-abuse guidelines.
Gregory was picked by Francis to lead the prestigious diocese in the US capital last year, taking over for Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who was accused of mishandling clerical abuse cases. Wilton was the archbishop of Atlanta before coming to the nation’s capital.
The prelate has his pulse on factions in the US Catholic Church, which has both strong conservative and liberal veins since he served three times as the head of the US Conference of Bishops.
Gregory will be eligible to vote for the next pope until he reaches the cutoff age of 80.
Gregory condemned President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania’s visit to a DC shrine honoring Pope John Paul II in June, slamming it as 'baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree.'
He also slammed Trump’s June photo op in front of St. John’s Episcopal church, where guards used tear gas to clear the area of peaceful protesters so Trump could pose in front of the sanctuary holding a Bible.
'Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth,' Gregory said at the time.
'He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace,' he added.
Gregory is one of the most prominent leaders in the Catholic Church in the US. He led the national conference of Catholic bishops in the early 2000’s when it was making its first anti-abuse guidelines. Gregory pictured blessing the badges of first responders in Atlanta in September 2015
Gregory slammed Trump’s June photo op in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, where guards used tear gas to clear the area of peaceful BLM protesters so Trump could pose in front of the sanctuary holding a Bible
Other new cardinals include an Italian who is the long-time papal preacher at the Vatican, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, a Franciscan friar; the Kigali, Rwanda, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; the Capiz, Philippines, Archbishop Jose Feurte Advincula, and the Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco.
Another Franciscan who was tapped is Friar Mauro Gambetti, in charge of the Sacred Convent in Assisi. The pope, when elected in 2013, chose St. Francis of Assisi as his namesake saint. Earlier this month, the pontiff journeyed to that hill town in Umbria to sign an encyclical, or important church teaching document, about brotherhood.
In a reflection of the pope's stress on helping those in need, Francis also named the former director of the Rome Catholic charity, Caritas, the Rev. Enrico Feroci, to be a cardinal.
Nine of the new cardinals are younger than 80, and thus eligible to elect the next pontiff in a secret conclave. Some cardinals head powerful Vatican offices, and pontiffs frequently turn to cardinals for advice.
People wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 listen to Pope Francis reading his message during the Angelus noon prayer from the window of his studio overlooking St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican, on Sunday
Statues adorn the Bernini Colonnade as people attending Pope Francis Angelus prayer from his studio window are silhouetted in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican on Sunday
No details were immediately given by the Vatican about the concistory, as the formal ceremony to make the churchmen cardinals is known, especially in view of travel restrictions involving many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As he has in other groups of cardinals he tapped in his papacy, Francis in this selection reflected the global nature of the Catholic Church and his flock of 1.2 billion Catholics.
Others receiving the honor include a Maltese prelate, Monsignor Mario Grech; Monsignor Marcello Semeraro, an Italian serving as prefect of the Vatican office which runs the saint-making process; Bishop Cornelius Sim, a Brunei native who serves as apostolic vicar of Brunei; the Italian archbishop of Siena and nearby towns in Tuscany, Augusto Lojudice; the retired bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico, Monsignor Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel; and an Italian former Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi.
Churchmen over 80 who are named cardinals are chosen to honor their life of service to the church. Those in this batch too old to vote in a conclave are Cantalamessa, Tomasi, Feroci and Arizmendi Esquivel.