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Cross
The Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Savannah
Vol. 99, No. 08 Thursday, April 11, 2019
Put Faith in Your Opinions
southerncross.diosav.org
After unrest and anger, new Washington archbishop
wants to rebuild trust
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, retired archbishop of Washington, who has
been apostolic administrator of the archdiocese, looks on as Archbishop
Wilton D. Gregory speaks during a news conference in the pastoral center
at the Archdiocese of Washington April 4, 2019, after Pope Francis named
him to head the archdiocese. Archbishop Gregory had headed the Atlanta
Archdiocese since 2005. (CNS photo/Bob Roller)
By Rhina Guidos (CNS)
HYATTSVILLE, Md.
A rchbishop Wilton D. Gregory, set
to become the new head of the
Archdiocese of Washington, promised
to serve with truth, love and tenderness
in a region where he acknowledged
“unrest and anger,” after the downfall of
former Washington Cardinal Theodore E.
McCarrick and the Church’s current sex
abuse scandal.
“I want to offer you hope. I will rebuild
your trust,” Archbishop Gregory said
during an April 4 news conference. “I
cannot undo the past, but I sincerely
believe that together we will not merely
address the moments we’ve fallen short
or failed outright, but we will model for
all the life and teaching of our Lord Jesus
Christ and we will reclaim the future for
our families, for those who will follow
us. That is my greatest, indeed, it is my
only aspiration.”
Archbishop Gregory was introduced
to media gathered for the announcement
at the Archdiocese of Washington’s pas
toral center in Hyattsville by Cardinal
Donald W. Wuerl. Pope Francis accept
ed Cardinal Wuerl’s resignation as
Washington’s archbishop in October and
named him apostolic administrator. The
cardinal, now 78, had submitted his resig
nation, as is mandatory, to the pope when
he turned 75, but it had not been accepted
until last fall.
Cardinal Wuerl had faced pressure to
resign following an Aug. 14, 2018, grand
jury report detailing past sexual abuse
claims in six Pennsylvania dioceses,
which showed a mixed record of how
he handled some of the cases when he
was bishop in Pittsbuigh from 1988 until
2006.
Cardinal Wuerl also recently faced
questions about what and when he
knew about past accusations involving
McCarrick, who was stripped by Vatican
officials of his clerical status Feb. 16 after
months of accusations that he may have
sexually molested minors and abused
seminarians at various times and places
in his 60 years as a priest.
Cardinal Wuerl remains apostol
ic administrator until the scheduled
May 21 installation of Archbishop
Gregory, who offered kind words for
his predecessor while acknowledging
shortcomings.
“It’s difficult to come into a situa
tion where there is unrest and anger,”
Archbishop Gregory said. “Eve known
Donald Wuerl for over 40 years. He is a
gentleman. He works very hard for the
Church. He’s acknowledged that he’s
made mistakes. That’s a sign of the integ
rity of a man. If I can shed light on what
I think we need to do in response to some
of the mistakes that he’s acknowledged
and asked forgiveness for, I’ll do that.”
As he begins his tenure in Washington,
following a 14-year stint in Atlanta,
Archbishop Gregory said he wants to
spend time “in the field.”
“For the foreseeable time, I’m not
going to spend too much time in the
office,” he said. “I have to be in the
parishes, I have to meet with my priests.
Why? Because I can’t be their archbishop
if I don’t give them an opportunity to
tell me what’s in their hearts, to come to
know me and to establish a bond.”
He said he wanted to communicate to
them his support, affection and yearning
to work for Catholics of the region. He
acknowledged that Washington, as the
country’s seat of political power, may ask
for political savvy from its archbishop.
“I see this appointment to be the pastor
of the Archdiocese of Washington; I was
not elected to Congress and so I intend
to speak and promote the Church’s moral
and doctrinal teaching that comes with
the job, but I think my involvement with
the political engines that run here has
to be reflected through that prism,” he
said. “I’m here as pastor. The pastor must
speak about those things that are rooted
in the Gospel but I’m not going to be
at the negotiating tables. That’s not my
place. My place is in the pews with my
people.”
Archbishop Gregory, 71, who will
become the first African American to
head the Washington Archdiocese.
In the Archdiocese of Washington,
which he called “home to the poor and
the powerful,” he promised transparen
cy and truth and said that during a time
when the Church had given the people in
the pews many reasons to leave, “I want
to give them a few reasons to stay.”
“I want to assure the people what I
will be honest with them,” he said. “I’m
an ordinary human being and I have to
acknowledge those things that I simply
can’t handle perfectly or even at all, but
I always have to tell you the truth. And
that’s been a theme here. I have to tell
you the truth and I will.”
Bishop Hartmayer offers his thoughts on
Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory’s
assignment to lead the
Archdiocese ofWashington
rchbishop Wilton Gregory has
A rct
.Zijnade significant contributions to
the Catholic church in the United States as
a bishop for more 36 years.
Archbishop Gregory is known for his
warm hospitality and genuine
concern for his priests and his care and
affection for the people he serves. He’s a
very efficient administrator and a gifted
homilist.
Archbishop Gregory ordained me the
Bishop of Savannah on October 18, 2011.
He will always be someone I look up to
and can continue to leam from.
I wish him God’s blessings as he begins
his new responsibilities as the archbishop
and shepherd of the people, clergy and
consecrated religious in Washington, DC.
believe he can help restore trust and bring
healing among the Catholic faithful in
Washington.
He will truly be missed in Atlanta.”
I
Archbishop Gregory and Bishop Hartmayer in Saint Mary’s
Chapel, Savannah 2017. File photo.