Pope Chooses Moderate Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory To Lead DC Archdiocese

Archbishop Wilton Gregory has run the Atlanta archdiocese since 2005 and is seen as a pastor very much in line with Pope Francis’ progressive vision of the church.

Darron Cummings / Associated Press file

Updated at noon Thursday

Pope Francis on Thursday named Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory as the new archbishop of Washington D.C., choosing a moderate, and the first African-American, to lead the archdiocese that has become the epicenter of the clergy sex abuse crisis in the U.S.

Gregory, 71, replaces Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who resigned last year after being implicated in covering up abuse by a Pennsylvania grand jury report.