In a significant move signaling his priorities for the Church in the United States and globally, Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, a staunch advocate for migrants and a critic of former President Donald Trump, as the new Archbishop of Washington, DC, CNN reports.
The appointment, announced Monday, comes alongside the historic naming of Sister Simona Brambilla as the first female leader of a Vatican department.
Cardinal McElroy, 70, succeeds Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, who was the first African-American Archbishop of Washington, DC.
The choice of McElroy is seen by many observers as a direct message to the incoming Trump administration and an indication of how the Vatican plans to navigate the next four years. Early in Trump’s first term, then-Bishop McElroy delivered a speech in Modesto, California, urging Catholics to become “disruptors” of the administration’s anti-immigrant policies. Following Trump’s 2016 election, McElroy lamented a “profound sickness in the soul in American political life,” and said it would be “unthinkable” for Catholics to “stand by while more than ten percent of our flock is ripped from our midst and deported.”
McElroy holds doctorates in both political science and theology, equipping him to articulate Catholic teachings on issues like migration and protecting vulnerable populations.
Historic Appointment of First Female Vatican Department Head
In another groundbreaking decision, Pope Francis appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as prefect of the Holy See’s religious life office. Brambilla, from Monza, Italy, previously worked as a nurse before joining her religious community and has a doctorate in psychology. She has also served as a missionary in Mozambique and, most recently, as the second-in-command at the office she will now lead.
The Pope also named Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime as “pro-prefect” to assist Brambilla in her new role.
The appointment of Brambilla reflects Pope Francis’s ongoing efforts to elevate women within the Church’s central administration. Despite this move, calls continue for greater inclusion of women in leadership roles throughout the Church. According to Vatican data, the percentage of women working for the Holy See and Vatican City State increased from 19.2% to 23.4% between 2013 and 2023.