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The Conclave Of Cardinals Have Elected A New Pope To Lead The World's Catholics

Source: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty

In the midst or conclusion of a religious scandal, Pope Francis has named Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory as the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

By naming Gregory as Archbishop, it immediately made history.   He is the first African American to lead the Washington, D.C. archdiocese.

Wilton Gregory is 71 and takes over from Cardinal Donald Wueri who resigned in 2018 after being involved in the covering up of sexual abuse among some of his clergy.

Gregory headed the U.S. bishops conference when it adopted a “zero-tolerance” abuse policy in 2002 to respond to the first wave of the scandal. He has run the Atlanta archdiocese since 2005 and is seen as a pastor very much in line with Francis’ progressive vision of the church.

The announcement was first reported by The Catholic News Agency.

The archdiocese, has become embroiled in the abuse crisis since its previous two leaders — Donald Wuerl and his predecessor Theodore McCarrick — have been implicated in the scandal.

So Archbishop Wilton Gregory takes over the Washington, D.C. Archdiocese – An African American.