Pope Francis appoints first African American cardinal


Pope Francis has confirmed 13 new cardinals to the highest rank of the Catholic Church hierarchy, including the first African American to hold the position.

In a ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on Saturday, which was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pope gave the 13 men their ring and traditional red hat, known as a biretta.

Wilton Gregory, who has served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC since May 2019, became the first African American to be appointed to the College of Cardinals.

“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 last month.

He told The Associated Press news agency ahead of Saturday’s ceremony that he viewed his appointment as “an affirmation of Black Catholics in the United States, the heritage of faith and fidelity that we represent”.

An outspoken civil rights advocate, Gregory, 72, made headlines in June when he criticised US President Donald Trump for a planned visit to a shrine honouring former Pope John Paul II in the US capital.


 Source: Aljazeera 

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