Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory impacted the world forever Saturday, turning into the main Black American to procure the position of cardinal.
Pope Francis offered the position on the 72-year-old Gregory alongside 10 other new cardinals at St. Peter’s Basilica, in a ceremony set apart by face masks and seats 6 feet separated, report.
Gregory kept his face mask on when he stooped for Francis to put on his red cap; the majority of the others took theirs off. The pope kept with his act of not wearing a mask.
After the ceremony, Gregory discussed the hugeness — and timing — of his arrangement.
“Among the individuals that have praised me and wished me well, companions and colleagues, I’ve heard this present: It’s about time,” he said during a video meeting. “However, it is likewise a significant acknowledgment that the African American, the Black Catholic people group, is a significant part inside the bigger, general church.”
Gregory discussed being a “voice for the African American people group in the Pope’s ear.” His new position gives him a more prominent and more impact — when racial pressures are intense in the US, especially over police killings of Black men.
Of the Church’s 229 cardinals, Francis has designated 73 who are under 80. A decent number of Francis’ nominees are from South America and Africa, acknowledgment that the Church’s capacity base has moved from Europe.