New Archbishop of Washington seeks to “know and understand this magnificent community of faith”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Hours after Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego was announced Jan. 6 as Washington’s new archbishop, the prelate hailed his new archdiocese as “truly sacramental in the rich diversity of its traditions and of its prospects.

He also pledged to “show reverence for the grace of God that is already present among you and in the commitment to discipleship that underpins this local church.”

“I come as your bishop seeking to know and understand this magnificent community of faith,” Cardinal McElroy said. “As a pastor, an essential part of my mission is to meet the hearts and souls of the disciples who form our local church.”

In a virtual press conference at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, Cardinal McElroy addressed his new congregants via the Archdiocese of Washington’s YouTube channel as a major snowstorm closed the city.

“I want to give thanks to God for the grace-filled life of this local church and to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, who today makes me a member of this church,” Cardinal McElroy said.

In early January, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop of Washington since 2019, and named the prelate of San Diego to succeed him. As required by Church law, Cardinal Gregory presented his resignation to the Pope at the age of 75, two years ago, on December 7, 2022.

Washington’s new archbishop said he shares Pope Francis’ emphasis on synodality and his call for the faithful to “build a Church centered on the Eucharist and dedicated to the Word of God and the sacraments that sustain us “.

“Synodality calls us to walk humbly as a Church, recognizing our faults and sins and seeking forgiveness,” said Cardinal McElroy, 70. “It seeks the participation of each disciple in the journey of the Church in this earthly pilgrimage and is oriented towards the construction of unity in a society rooted in the justice of God, which particularly cares for the unborn, the poor , the marginalized and the dispossessed.

He said that in the Archdiocese of Washington, “for the past 85 years, the Catholic community has radiated the light of Christ throughout the District of Columbia and the five surrounding counties of Maryland.”

The archdiocese is home to more than 671,000 Catholics in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery, Prince George’s, St. Mary’s, Calvert and Charles counties in Maryland.

Cardinal McElroy praised the archdiocese for its “rich parish faith communities” and its “innovative development of lay ministries and apostolates, as well as the development of lay leadership in the Church that is truly participatory and inclusive “.

The Archdiocese of Washington, Cardinal McElroy said, boasts “the ministries of the African American community, which is so fundamental to the whole life of this local church, and the ministries to the multitude of peoples who seek and find the presence of God in this place – from the central State”. America, Mexico, Caribbean and South America; Europe, Asia and Africa.

The inhabitants of his new archdiocese, the cardinal said, are “men and women who form the people of God, struggling in a world full of turbulence, difficulties and illusions, to follow the path of Jesus Christ… (and are) called to be both dispensers and recipients of mercy and forgiveness.

He noted that the Archdiocese of Washington has experienced “peak moments” such as the visits of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis and endured “moments of failure and shame,” including reports of sexual abuse of people. minors.

“In this mixture of summit and failure, we are no different from the Lord’s first disciples,” Cardinal McElroy said. “It is towards this community on the journey of faith that the Holy Father called me to be bishop and pastor.”

He said that over the next few months he would meet with the priests of the archdiocese because “I want to support them in the priesthood that we all share, with all its wonders and difficulties,” and will also meet with the lay leaders of the parishes “to understand their dreams, their hopes and their sadness with regard to the Church at the parish, diocesan and universal levels.

“Through this journey, I can orient myself to the life of the archdiocese in all its wonders and complexity,” Cardinal McElroy said. “Forming a vision for the archdiocese for the years to come will have to be a truly collaborative effort if it is to guide us through the challenges we face today and will face in the future and help us to seize the opportunities for pastoral growth found in our region. among us.

Speaking in Spanish, Washington’s new archbishop addressed the archdiocese’s Hispanic Catholics, saying, “I want to be a good pastor and I want to constantly declare that the Church is the mother of all, of all , of all.”

Noted for his efforts in environmental protection in the Diocese of San Diego, Cardinal McElroy was asked about his concern for creative projects after his installation in this archdiocese. He said: “It is a paramount question in our world: how are we going to preserve the creation that God has given us. »

He said many of these efforts were spurred by the Archdiocese of Washington’s Laudato Si’ Action Plan, suggesting ways local Catholics can bring Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment to life in their homes, parishes, schools and institutions.

He said that “one of the great challenges for the Church and the world at this time is to take care of our home here on Earth”, and he added that it is important to generate concern for the environment among young people because “they are the future”. who will help save our planet which is the creative work of God. It is a grace given to us by God.

Asked how he would work with the new Trump administration, Cardinal McElroy called for “greater unity in the political and cultural sphere.”

“As Americans, we should all hope and pray that our nation’s government succeeds in helping to improve our society, our culture, our lives and our nation as a whole,” he said. “I pray that President (Donald) Trump’s administration and all state and local legislatures and governors across the country will work together to make our nation truly better and to discuss the major issues we face.”

The cardinal mentioned immigration as an issue that, from the Catholic Church’s perspective, “could contrast with some of the priorities that the president-elect has spoken about.”

“The Catholic Church teaches that the country has the right to control its own borders and that our nation’s desire to do so is a legitimate effort, but at the same time we are called to always have a sense of the dignity of each human person,” said the cardinal. » said McElroy. “A broader, indiscriminate mass deportation across the country would be something that would be inconsistent with Catholic doctrine, so we will have to see what emerges in this administration. »

Cardinal McElroy said Cardinal Gregory — named by Pope Francis in 2019 as the seventh archbishop of Washington and elevated to the College of Cardinals the following year — demonstrated “courage, a deeply pastoral heart and faith unshakeable in God and in the dignity of the human person. as he “made critically important contributions at crucial times to bring the Gospel of Jesus to the heart and soul of the Catholic community here in Washington.”

“This enduring legacy will long remain a treasure for us all,” Cardinal McElroy said of Cardinal Gregory.

At the Jan. 6 conference, Cardinal Gregory said, “As I reflect on the past six years in this wonderful local church in Washington, my heart is filled primarily with joy and gratitude for the many blessings, always appreciated but rarely deserved, which God has received. granted me.

He thanked priests, auxiliary bishops and the faithful, noting that “we have loved each other, cared for each other, challenged ourselves to be the Catholic Church to which Jesus Christ calls us.”

Cardinal Gregory said he plans to stay in Washington after retirement and serve where needed.

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