Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who currently leads the Archdiocese of Atlanta, is likely to be appointed by Pope Francis as the new head of Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, according to a report in Catholic News Agency (CNA) dated March 28.
Since last October, following the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl amid the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, D.C. has been without an archbishop. However, Wuerl has been serving in an interim role.
Replacing Wuerl, 71-year-old Gregory would become the seventh Archbishop of Washington if he is appointed. He would also become the first African-American to hold the position.
A formal announcement is expected this week, according to sources speaking to CNA. However, the archbishop has not yet confirmed the acceptance of his appointment.
Between 2001 and 2004, Gregory served as the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He was responsible for leading the American hierarchy through the Church’s 2002 sexual abuse scandals. The archbishop was also instrumental in the implementation of the “Dallas Charter” and USCCB’s “Essential Norms” in 2002.
As part of a working group, along with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, he was also tasked by the U.S. bishops to examine and develop proposed reforms to enhance episcopal accountability.
A native of Chicago, Gregory converted to Catholicism as a student in a Chicago Catholic grade school. He was ordained a priest in Chicago by Cardinal John Cody in 1971 and consecrated as bishop at the age of 36. He was appointed as the Bishop of Belleville, Illinois, in 1994, and served for 10 years there, before moving to Atlanta in 2004.