VATICAN CITY — The former Archbishop of Atlanta has been named the first African American cardinal by the Pope.
On Sunday, Pope Francis named 13 new cardinals, including former Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.
Gregory is currently the Archbishop of the Washington, D.C. diocese, but served as the Archbishop of Atlanta until 2019.
Gregory will become the first Black American prelate to earn the coveted red hat.
Pope Francis made the surprise announcement from his window on St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on Nov. 28.
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Gregory, 73, was picked by Francis to lead the prestigious diocese in the U.S. capital last year. The prelate has his pulse on factions in the U.S. Catholic Church, which has both strong conservative and liberal veins since he served three times as the head of the U.S. Conference of Bishops.
Other new cardinals include an Italian who is the long-time papal preacher at the Vatican, the Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa, a Franciscan friar; the Kigali, Rwanda, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; the Capiz, Philippines, Archbishop Jose Feurte Advincula, and the Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco.
No details were immediately given by the Vatican about the concistory, as the formal ceremony to make the churchmen cardinals is known, especially in view of travel restrictions involving many countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
