Pope Francis named on Sunday Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory a cardinal, along with 12 other new cardinals from around the world, making him the first African American prelate to hold the position.
The pope made the announcement from his balcony that overlooks St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican.
Gregory will be elevated to the College of Cardinals at a November 28 consistory at the Vatican, according to a press release from the Archdiocese of Washington. After that, he will be entitled to vote in a papal election until he reaches the age of 80.
“With a very grateful and humble heart, I thank Pope Francis for this appointment which will allow me to work more closely with him in caring for Christ’s Church,” Gregory said in a statement in response to the Vatican’s announcement.
The 72-year-old Cardinal-elect visited the Holy Angels Catholic Church in Maryland’s St. Mary’s County for services in the wake of the news on Sunday.
After yesterday's exciting news of @WashArchbishop Gregory's appointment to the College of Cardinals, voices within the Church responded with warm wishes and fond reflections on the journey that has brought us here today. #CardinalGregory https://t.co/0uwruPgUb0
— Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, DC (@WashArchdiocese) October 26, 2020
He was born in Chicago and became Washington’s archbishop in 2019, after Cardinal Donald Wuerl resigned from his post as head of the archdiocese in 2018 following accusations against him of covering up sexual abuse offenses while serving as bishop of Pittsburg.
Gregory was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1973. Three years later, he began graduate studies at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute (Sant’ Anselmo) in Rome, where he earned his doctorate in sacred liturgy in 1980.
In 2004, Pope Saint John Paul II appointed Gregory as the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and he was installed in January 2005. He served as the archbishop of Atlanta for 14 years before coming to the District.
Gregory has written extensively on church issues, including pastoral statements on the death penalty, euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide and has published numerous articles on the subject of liturgy, particularly in the African-American community, according to the Archdiocese of Washington.
He has been awarded nine honorary doctoral degrees, including Great Preacher Award from Saint Louis University (2002), Sword of Loyola from Loyola University of Chicago (2004), and Honorary Law Degree from Notre Dame University (2012).