Cardinal McElroy Picked to Lead Washington, D.C. Archdiocese

McElroy lead San Diego Archdiocese for 10 years

Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, bishop of San Diego, was appointed by Pope Francis to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., the Vatican announced Monday morning. McElroy, 70, has led the Archdiocese of San Diego since 2015. 

McElroy will succeed Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who resigned the same day due to his age. The archdiocese serves more than 500,000 Catholics in the capital and southern Maryland. 

During the past decade, McElroy has established a close relationship with the University of San Diego (USD), annually presiding over institutional services like the Mass of the Holy Spirit. During USD’s 75th anniversary in 2024, he led the opening mass of the Lighting the Way Forward conference. He also provided the keynote plenary session on Care for Our Common Home. 

For his continuous efforts promoting Care for Our Common Home, the university named McElroy a ‘Laudato si’ Fellow during the conference.

"I will miss Cardinal McElroy immensely,” said USD Vice President for Mission Integration Michael Lovette-Colyer, PhD. “He has been an outstanding leader of our diocese and an enthusiastic, generous partner to our university.”

McElroy was born in San Francisco and raised in San Mateo County. In 2015, he was tapped by Pope Francis to lead the San Diego Diocese. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in May 2022. Of the 21 new cardinals, McElroy was the only bishop selected from North America.

McElroy has become widely known for his deep commitment to human dignity and care for our common home through the principles of Laudato si. 

“The various talks he gave on campus were brilliant, demonstrating his keen appreciation for the role of Catholic higher education in the life of the Church and society,” Lovette-Colyer said. “While we will miss him, his legacy will live on and he will be able to exercise even greater national leadership in his new role in DC."

— Story and photos by Matthew Piechalak