Pope Francis announced on Sunday he would elevate Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Washington to cardinal. This makes Gregory the first African American to hold the title.

“With a very grateful and humble heart, I thank Pope Francis for this appointment which will allow me to work more closely with him in caring for Christ’s Church,” Gregory said in a statement, according to the Catholic Standard, the Washington archdiocese’s newspaper.

He is among the 13 new cardinals announced on Sunday. They’ll be elevated as cardinals in a ceremony that’s known as a consistory, that’ll take place on November 28, Washington Post reported.

However, it is unclear whether coronavirus restrictions in Italy would interfere with the ceremony.

Who is Archbishop Wilton Gregory?

After being the Archbishop of Atlanta, from 2005 to 2019, he became the Archbishop of Washington, last year. 

He was the Auxillary Bishop of Chicago from 1983 to 1994 and the Bishop of Belleville, Illinois, from 1994 to 2004.

His elevation to a cardinal was widely anticipated but it is symbolically significant in the US Catholic Church, where African-Americans have been underrepresented among the leadership.

The 72-year old Archbishop will be eligible to vote in any papal election until he reaches the age of 80.

Why is his elevation significant?

His elevation comes in the aftermath of anti-racism protests that rocked through the US. 

Archbishop Gregory took a stern approach during the protests that broke out following the custodial death of George Floyd, an African American man in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Days after his photo-op at St John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, President Donald Trump visited a Washington shrine that honors Pope John Paul II.

Gregory called 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, which call us to defend the rights of all people, even those with whom we might disagree.”

President’s photo-op was heavily criticised as peaceful anti-racism protesters were cleared by the security forces, for it.

Gregory said in a statement that Pope John Paul II would not have condoned Trump’s actions at St John’s.

“Saint Pope John Paul II was an ardent defender of the rights and dignity of human beings. His legacy bears vivid witness to that truth,” the statement read.

“He certainly would not condone the use of tear gas and other deterrents to silence, scatter or intimidate them for a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace,” it added.

Commenting on the killing of Floyd and others, Gregory said such cases “clearly” confirms “that racism still endures in our country.”