With Ceremony At The Vatican, Wilton Gregory Becomes 1st Black American Cardinal

Enlarge this image

Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington, D.C., becomes a cardinal during a consistory on Saturday at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Fabio Frustaci/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

hide caption

toggle caption

Fabio Frustaci/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Catholic News Service
YouTube

Gregory has developed a reputation as someone who is not afraid to weigh in on salient social issues. «You cannot be a Catholic and sit on the sidelines,» he told young adult Catholics last year. «To be a member of the Church means you’ve got to get in and get your hands dirty in the mix of the whole arena of faith from what we believe and profess to how we live and treat one another.»

Gregory didn’t hold back after President Trump visited the St. John Paul II National Shrine the day after demonstrators were tear-gassed outside the White House. «I find it baffling and reprehensible that any Catholic facility would allow itself to be so egregiously misused and manipulated in a fashion that violates our religious principles,» he said at the time.

This week, Gregory told the media he hopes to find common ground with President-elect Joe Biden, who will be the second Catholic president in the country’s history.

«The kind of relationship that I hope we will have is a conversational relationship where we can discover areas where we can cooperate that reflect the social teachings of the church,» Gregory told the Catholic News Service, «knowing full well that there are some areas where we won’t agree.»

Sylvia Poggioli contributed to this report.

• Vatican