Today, Pope Francis announced that he will name Most Reverend
Wilton D. Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., to the College of Cardinals
on November 28, 2020. I congratulate Cardinal-designate Gregory on this most
welcome news. As the first Black Cardinal of the United States, this historic
announcement is an honor and blessing for him as well as for the entire Church
in our country.
Cardinal-designate Gregory is a friend for whom I have the
greatest respect and admiration. He has a distinguished record of providing
sound leadership to the Catholic Church in the United States, including his
service as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from
2001 to 2004, Archbishop of Atlanta from 2005 to 2019 and currently as
Archbishop of Washington, D.C., since 2019.
It was a great privilege to work with then-Archbishop Gregory as
my Metropolitan Archbishop when I served as Bishop of Raleigh, NC from 2006 to
2016. His arrival in Washington, D.C., last year enabled us to continue working
in close collaboration, which has been both a joy and an honor for me.
Cardinal-designate Gregory is a model of pastoral leadership and he provides a much-needed
voice on the issues facing the Church and our society.
At this time, and with all in the Diocese of Arlington, I also
congratulate the priests, deacons, consecrated religious, and lay faithful of
the Archdiocese of Washington on this most notable occasion.
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2020