Appointment of a Progressive Bishop to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Cardinal Robert McElroy
A few days before Donald Trump’s inauguration for a second term in the White House, the Holy See announced the name of Cardinal Wilton Gregory’s successor as head of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The new archbishop of the national capital is known to be a progressive fiercely opposed to certain policies of the incoming administration.
There are significant twists and turns between the Vatican and the future American administration. Recently, Donald Trump appointed Brian Burch, a figure critical of Pope Francis, as ambassador to the Vatican.
Pope Francis has now decided to appoint Cardinal Robert McElroy, previously Archbishop of San Diego, California, as Archbishop of Washington, D.C. The appointment was unveiled on January 6, 2025.
Soon to be 71-years old, the new ordinary of the capital is a man known for his progressivism. He is a supporter of the synod on synodality and its reforms, and someone in favor of access to communion for irregular couples or pro-abortion politicians. He is also a supporter of migrants and “sexual minorities.”
For Massimo Faggioli, a progressive theologian interviewed by The National Catholic Reporter – a center-left Catholic press organ – this appointment is “one of the most important of Francis’s pontificate” and augurs a real showdown to come.
“A more cautious Vatican would probably not have chosen McElroy to lead one of the country’s major archdioceses, and many thought he was too progressive to be appointed to the position,” believes the academic, who sees the high prelate as a man much more “left-wing” than the majority of the American episcopate.
The Roman decision came at a time when the American Congress was formalizing Donald Trump’s victory on Capitol Hill. Massimo Faggioli sees it as a strong sign “at a time when Donald Trump is preparing to implement his program of expelling migrants.”
The new Archbishop of Washington was quick to cross swords with Joe Biden’s successor: “The Catholic Church teaches that a country has the right to control its borders. And our nation’s desire to do so is a legitimate effort,” declared McElroy at a press conference at St. Matthew’s Cathedral shortly after his appointment.
But he immediately added: “At the same time, we are always called to have a sense of the dignity of each human person. Also, the project decided at a high level concerning a mass and blind deportation would be something incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”
“Mass deportation.” The stone thrown into Donald Trump’s garden is a big one, and augurs future seismic aftershocks. But for now, the president-elect will be able to console himself: it is one of his most fervent supporters, the Cardinal-Archbishop of New York, who will lead the opening prayer for the inauguration of the 47th president of the United States.
“The president was kind enough to ask me to make this prayer,” declared Cardinal Archbishop Timothy Dolan, adding that the new strongman of America “takes his Christian faith seriously.”
(Source : National Catholic Register/National Catholic Reporter – FSSPX.Actualités)
Illustration : Diocese of San Diego