Washington Cardinal McElroy diagnosed with cancer, to miss bishops' meeting

(RNS) — Washington Cardinal Robert McElroy has been diagnosed with a nonaggressive cancer that tends not to metastasize, the Archdiocese of Washington said on Wednesday (Nov. 5). The cancer will be surgically removed Nov. 13, and McElroy will miss the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ November meeting, according to the an archdiocesan spokesperson.

McElroy, who was appointed archbishop of Washington in January, in one of Francis’ last episcopal appointments, is seen as a leader of the often-progressive wing of the conference most aligned with the late pope, but other bishops in the conference have publicly criticized him for calling for “radical inclusion” in the church, including of LGBTQ+ people and divorced and remarried people. One bishop went so far as to imply he was “heretical.”

On Nov. 11, the bishops’ conference will elect a new president and vice president for the first time under Pope Leo XIV’s papacy. While conservative Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, who defended a prominent Francis critic, is expected to be the front-runner, the race is more contested than in many years. 

While no cardinals are on the ballot for president or vice president, McElroy has been a leader in trying to nudge the bishops to take stronger stances on immigration and synodality, Francis’ signature theological initiative. He will miss the conference’s votes for the new leadership and committee chairs, as well as opportunities to publicly comment on how the conference should move forward on immigration, healthcare decisions, including for transgender people, and its budget. 

The Archdiocese of Washington said McElroy has well-differentiated liposarcoma, a rare cancer that, according to the Cleveland Clinic, rarely causes pain.

“For these reasons, the Cardinal’s doctors are in consensus that his prognosis is very good,” the archdiocese said in its statement.

Asking for their prayers and support, the cardinal told priests at the Archdiocese of Washington’s annual convention on Tuesday night that he planned to resume full duties two weeks after surgery.

“I am at peace with this challenge and hope and believe that in God’s grace I will be Archbishop of Washington for many years to come,” McElroy told his priests.