Washington D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory becomes the first African American Cardinal

Last year, Wilton Gregory made history as Washington, D.C.‘s first African American archbishop.

This year he is making history again.

Pope Francis has named 13 new cardinals, including Archbishop Wilton Gregory.

This new appointment will make Gregory the first African American prelate elevated to cardinal.

As a matter of fact, Archbishop Gregory is the only Black archbishop in the United States, CNN reports.

Gregory is known for leading the Catholic Church through its clergy sexual abuse crisis in the early 2000s.

Since 2005, he had led the Archdiocese of Atlanta, before being appointed Archbishop of Washington, DC in 2019.

Cardinals’ main responsibility is to elect a new pope, should he step down or die, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

According to Vatican News, cardinals wear the distinctive red vestment to indicate their willingness to sacrifice themselves to the point of shedding “their own blood in the service of the Successor of Peter.”

Pope Francis announced the ceremony to install the new cardinals will take place on November 28.

Photo Source: CNN