The 72-year old Washington archbishop, who is currently under quarantine ahead of the big day in the Vatican on Saturday, shows no sign of pre-ceremony nerves as he chats via Zoom about Pope Francis’s “important choice”.
“I’m only one person, but at this point I’m a symbolic individual,” the Chicago native told AFP with a broad smile.
His elevation is “a sign of the importance of and respect for the African-American community” — and comes as the first recognised African-American priest, Augustus Tolton, is being considered for sainthood, he said.
Tolton, born to slaves in 19th-century Missouri, was ordained in Rome because no US seminary wanted him.
Times have changed: Gregory not only commands affection and respect in the United States, he speaks for many.
The first black archbishop of the US capital, appointed 18 months ago, did not hesitate to slam President Donald Trump’s stunt with a bible last June after an anti-racism protest.
He has also not shied away from one of the Catholic Church’s darkest ills: paedophile priests.
The US has been hit hard by the scandal and Gregory has echoed Francis in vowing zero tolerance.
A recent Vatican report found several popes had failed to tackle allegations that one of America’s most influential cardinals, Theodore McCarrick, a former Washington archbishop himself, was a sexual predator.
“It’s a sad report, but it’s an important one,” particularly in terms of bettering the vetting process for potential new bishops and cardinals, said Gregory, who was head of the American Bishops’ Conference in the early 2000s.
The 72-year old Washington archbishop, who is currently under quarantine ahead of the big day in the Vatican on Saturday, shows no sign of pre-ceremony nerves as he chats via Zoom about Pope Francis’s “important choice”.
“I’m only one person, but at this point I’m a symbolic individual,” the Chicago native told AFP with a broad smile.
His elevation is “a sign of the importance of and respect for the African-American community” — and comes as the first recognised African-American priest, Augustus Tolton, is being considered for sainthood, he said.
Tolton, born to slaves in 19th-century Missouri, was ordained in Rome because no US seminary wanted him.
Times have changed: Gregory not only commands affection and respect in the United States, he speaks for many.
The first black archbishop of the US capital, appointed 18 months ago, did not hesitate to slam President Donald Trump’s stunt with a bible last June after an anti-racism protest.
He has also not shied away from one of the Catholic Church’s darkest ills: paedophile priests.
The US has been hit hard by the scandal and Gregory has echoed Francis in vowing zero tolerance.
A recent Vatican report found several popes had failed to tackle allegations that one of America’s most influential cardinals, Theodore McCarrick, a former Washington archbishop himself, was a sexual predator.