WASHINGTON (RNS) — Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, currently bishop of San Diego, to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, replacing Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the U.S.’s first Black Catholic cardinal, whose resignation has been accepted by the pope two years past the traditional retirement age of 75.
The appointment came just as Washington prepares for a new president who has made immigration a key theme of his campaign, just as Francis has focused on migrant rights during his papacy. Having led the border diocese of San Diego since 2015, McElroy, 70, has experience with immigration, both as a political issue and a reality in his diocesan churches.
At a press conference in Washington following the announcement, McElroy said of Trump’s immigration policy, “Having a wider, indiscriminate, massive deportation across the country would be something that would be incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”
In December McElroy joined other bishops in the California Catholic Conference in releasing a statement that called the U.S. immigration system “broken.”
McElroy has been a strong ally of the pope on several other of Francis’ key issues, particularly the environment and the application of the theological concept of synodality, which emphasizes dialogue over hierarchical processes in the church.
As he addressed his new archdiocese for the first time, McElroy mentioned synodality immediately after offering his first messages of thanks. “We are called to proclaim that everyone is welcomed on this journey, embraced in Christ’s love, called to conversion and change in our lives, and to reconciliation with God and one another,” he said.
The cardinal has also emerged as a national leader on implementing Francis’ vision for environmental justice and stewardship, announcing a year ago that the San Diego diocese would be the first in the country to divest from fossil fuels.
At Monday’s press conference, McElroy did not directly answer RNS’ question as to whether the Archdiocese of Washington would also work to divest from fossil fuels. As a smiling Gregory looked on, McElroy said that in his time in San Diego he had learned from the Archdiocese of Washington’s environmental work and emphasized that his own environmental work was centered on the concerns of young people.
McElroy has been unafraid to wade into controversy in defense of the pope, telling Spanish magazine Vida Nueva that he would not allow diocesan media to carry popular Catholic television network EWTN because “it represents a giant of economic and cultural power connected to a religious viewpoint that is fundamentally critical of the pope.”
Despite McElroy’s alignment with Francis on many issues, some U.S. conservative pundits and bishops have labeled him a radical, particularly after he released an opinion piece in America, a magazine of the Jesuit order, in January 2023 calling for “radical inclusion” in the church and arguing that the exclusion of people who do not follow church teaching on sexual activity, including LGBTQ+ people and divorced and remarried people, from Communion should change.
The piece prompted public backlash from several fellow U.S. bishops, including Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, Bishop Robert Barron, Lincoln, Nebraska, Bishop James Conley, Denver Archbishop Samuel Aquila, Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Thomas Paprocki.
In an essay titled, “Imagining a Heretical Cardinal,” Paprocki accused a theoretical cardinal of heresy, while citing McElroy’s statements from the America piece.
McElroy told Vida Nueva that the accusations of heresy hurt him, but that “this language endangers the church even more, in breaking down the dialogue that we should maintain these days about the fundamental questions that we are confronting.”
Some Catholic advocacy groups in Washington gave McElroy a warm welcome. Charlene Howard, the executive director of Pax Christi USA, a Catholic peace organization, called the appointment “timely” given the impending transition to a second Trump administration.
“Having an ally at the archdiocese who’s so well-versed and active in the very same issues that we’re advocating for is certainly a boost for us,” said Howard of the position of many Catholic advocacy organizations, as she highlighted McElroy’s work on migration and nonviolence.
“It’s not just lip service,” Howard said. “He uses his energy to advocate for those causes, and he speaks truth to power.”
Last January, McElroy backed a Pax Christi USA letter calling on the U.S. to cut military spending and instead invest in ending poverty. The cardinal also spoke at the opening of Pax Christi International’s Catholic Institute for Nonviolence in September.
Dan Misleh, executive director of Catholic Climate Covenant, told RNS in a statement that McElroy “has been one of the premier champions of implementing the challenges outlined in ‘Laudato Si’ and has been outspoken in his support of the vital work of healing our common home.”
Misleh pointed out that McElroy had appointed a full-time staff person to focus on creation care, something few U.S. dioceses have done. “We look forward to working with Cardinal McElroy as he continues to implement the Archdiocese of Washington’s Laudato Si’ Action Plan,” Misleh wrote.
Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, a Catholic LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, called McElroy “prophetic” and “a brilliant theologian and astute political analyst” and praised his record in supporting LGBTQ+ people.
DeBernardo told RNS that in Washington, McElroy’s “voice will be considered more relevant to the political process. He’ll have the opportunity to meet leaders, particularly Catholic legislators and officials,” DeBernardo said, adding that he saw the appointment as “a sign that Pope Francis wants to appoint bishops in the U.S. who are going to take the protection of LGBTQ people more seriously than many current bishops do.”
Gregory announced in the press conference that he will remain in Washington to continue to serve “God’s people here in Washington.” He explained, “I never approached my time here in Washington as a pass through.”
Gregory was named archbishop in 2019, as the archdiocese was still reeling from revelations that its former leader, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, had sexually abused children and adults as a priest. The archdiocese has since faced significant financial challenges, particularly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McElroy said in 2018 that he had received a letter from clergy abuse survivor advocate Richard Sipe in 2016 that contained accusations against several prelates, including McCarrick, but he said he was unable to act after Sipe did not provide corroborating information.
Born in San Francisco in 1954, McElroy has said he felt called to the priesthood since childhood. He attended Harvard University for a bachelor’s degree in American history and Stanford University for a master’s degree in American history and doctorate in political science, in addition to St. Patrick Seminary, Jesuit School of Theology and Pontifical Gregorian University.
Before serving as bishop of San Diego, McElroy was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. He was made a cardinal in 2022.
At the press conference, McElroy said that his first step in “coming to know” the archdiocese would involve a series of meetings with priests and lay leaders and that he was entering the archdiocese without a vision.
“Forming a vision for the Archdiocese will have to be a truly collaborative effort if it is to guide us through the challenges we now face and help us to seize the opportunities for pastoral growth that lie within our midst,” he said.
Jack Jenkins contributed to this report.