“Washington’s new archbishop is progressive, outspoken — and ready to stand up” declares the Washington Post in a a lengthy profile written by columnist E.J. Dionne Jr., about Cardical Robert McElroy, 71.
Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, 71, as Archbishop of Washington, a key figure in the American Catholic Church. The appointment dates back to January, but now The Washington Post describes him as the right man at the right time, “uniquely suited” to the current era. McElroy is a progressive, close to the Pope, with an academic background in political science from Harvard and Stanford, known for his commitment to social justice, migrants, climate, and inclusion.
Formerly the Bishop of San Diego, McElroy has often been targeted by the Catholic right for his open positions on LGBTQ+ issues, abortion, and communion.
However, according to the Washington Post, it is precisely his ability to combine moral firmness, pastoral empathy, and a culture of dialogue that makes him the right person to lead Catholics in Washington, D.C., at a time marked by public service cuts, political tensions, and a crisis of faith among young people. His appointment is seen as a powerful message: the Church must be closer to the poor than to power, more welcoming than judgmental.
McElroy was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022. He has frequently written extensively on inequality and the Church’s mission of social justice. In his first public appearance in San Diego, he committed to defending the cause of the homeless, supporting comprehensive immigration reform, and banning anyone who has abused minors from serving in the clergy or holding any other position within the diocese.
In a 2015 discussion on the Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship document by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, McElroy called for its complete rewrite, arguing that it focused too heavily on abortion and euthanasia. He stated that these are “central issues in our effort to transform this world,” but “poverty and the degradation of the earth are also central. Yet this document maintains the worldview structure of 2007. It takes a stance against abortion and euthanasia and excludes poverty and the environment.” His comments irritated Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, who was then the vice president of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference and later became its president.
In a speech on February 17, 2016, McElroy urged Catholics “to recognize and confront the ugly tide of anti-Islamic bigotry” in the United States, denouncing as “repeated falsehoods” claims that Islam is a violent religion. He compared these accusations to the widespread anti-Catholic sentiment in the U.S. during the 19th century.
McElroy, like most members of the Church hierarchy — including Pope Francis and the U.S. Bishops’ Conference — opposed former U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to curb illegal immigration. In March 2018, Trump visited California to inspect prototypes of the wall. After the visit, McElroy — then Bishop of San Diego, a border city — said, “It is a sad day for our country when we trade the majestic, hope-filled symbolism of the Statue of Liberty for an ineffective and grotesque wall, which both displays and inflames the ethnic and cultural divisions that have long been the underside of our national history”.
In 2020, three weeks prior to the US presidential election, McElroy criticized those questioning Biden’s personal Catholic faith based on his positions on abortion, characterizing “the public denial of candidates’ identity as Catholics because of a specific policy position they have taken” as “an assault on the meaning of what it is to be Catholic.”
During a 2018 meeting, some lay Catholics questioned McElroy about an openly gay man, Aaron Bianco, who worked at St. John the Evangelist parish. McElroy responded, “If the Church eliminated all the employees who are not living out the teachings of the Church in its fullness, we would be employing only angels.”
