Roman Catholic leaders may be reaching to Peachtree Street to make a pick for the Big Apple.

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Wilton D. Gregory smiles after receiving the crosier from the Most Reverend Gabriel Montalvo (right) during his installation as the sixth archbishop of Atlanta in January 2005.

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Atlanta's popular and respected Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory is one of several candidates under consideration to replace Cardinal Edward Egan, the Archbishop of New York, church watchers say.

The secretive and sometimes long process to assign Egan's successor could take years, as it has in the past, but several indicators are that a choice could be made sooner rather than later.

Egan is past his 75th birthday, by which archbishops must turn in their papers of resignation, and his imperious style has made him unpopular.

Pope Benedict XVI just made a visit to New York, which would make a nice capper to an archbishop's administration, and a spate of nearly 50 priests assignments made by Egan recently indicate he may be trying to leave his final stamp on the city, says Christopher Bellitto, a professor of church history at Kean University in New Jersey and a former employee of the New York archdiocese.

Bellitto and others are hearing Gregory's name whispered as a candidate to replace him. He thinks Gregory is at the bottom of the A-list, but others rank him higher.

"Consistently, since October or November, I've heard about Gregory at or near the top of the list," said Rocco Palmo, a Catholic journalist and blogger from Philadelphia.

Gregory has taken the traditional bishop's position of silence on the issue of advancement.

Pat Chivers, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Atlanta said in a written statement that any talk is total speculation.

"Pope Benedict XVI has not accepted the resignation of Cardinal Egan at this time. In the Catholic Church, the process of naming a new archbishop is not an election or a popularity contest," she wrote.

The decision will be made in the Pope's own time, Chivers said.

Church members in Atlanta are viewing the rumors with a combination of pride and disappointment. In just three years, his flock had learned to love Gregory. He was appointed to Atlanta in 2005.

"One the one hand, it would be a great loss to Atlanta," said Paul Voss, a Catholic and a professor of literature at Georgia State University.

On the other hand, it would be a great gain for the larger church in America. New York is considered the premier Catholic archdiocese in the U.S., Palmo said.

It often sets a tone for the rest of the nation, Palmo said.

Gregory's managerial abilities, approachable style and his ability to communicate intimately and clearly to a church member, congregation or on CNN make him popular here and elsewhere.

Linda Thomas-Mobley, an Atlanta Catholic, said "You can walk up to him at any time. He will listen to you and talk to you."

Del Kiernan-Lewis added, "He is amazingly accessible."

His communication skills were tried and honed in the years immediately before he came to Atlanta. He did tough work as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the early 2000s, addressing the church sex abuse scandal in the U.S. He set a zero tolerance policy for abusers, some of whom had been shifted from church to church in the past, and he called for parishioners to make reports to police.

In front of cameras and reporters, he earned high marks for his erudition and competency, and earned the respect of church officials as well.

"He is the man who almost single handedly herded the cats, corralled the bishops, into reacting forcefully in 2002 to the sex abuse scandal," said David Gibson, author of "The Rule of Benedict," a biography of Pope Benedict the XVI.

"He is seen as a person who has a willingness to tackle things head on," he said.

Sixty-year-old Gregory, who was operated on in December for early stage prostate cancer, has also served on numerous U.S. committees and boards and won an armful of Catholic awards, such as the Cardinal Bernardin award in 2006 for church service.

He would shatter one huge precedent if named Archbishop of New York, says Palmo.

Gregory is black, and every New York Archbishop since 1850 has been of Irish descent. Traditionally, the Archbishop of New York is also made a cardinal.

His appointment could please a number of members of the diocese, which like the one in Atlanta is quickly diversifying from its European roots.

Gregory's easy style, popularity with priests and reputation as a problem solver would also seem to qualify him for New York, which is in something of a funk because of Egan's unpopularity, Palmo said.

However, there are also other strong candidates being discussed, such as Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee and Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves of Puerto Rico.

The bottom line is that few really know about the secretive church process of selection.

Voss of Atlanta said, "Those who know don't talk. And those who talk don't know."

The Papal Nuncio, the Vatican's ambassador to the U.S. begins the process of selection by interviewing priests and possibly lay people in the archdiocese about their perceived needs and condition of the church. He writes a lengthy report, including names of three candidates, which is sent to Rome.

A group of cardinals review the report and add their opinions and thoughts and may rank the candidates. They give the information to the Pope.

The Pope can choose one of the candidates or select someone who is not on the list.

There is no time limit.

"The indications I have, which [Egan] and his aides dispute, is that [the resignation] will be within a few months rather than years," said Gibson "But who knows."

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Atlanta (69 counties)

Catholics Active priests Parishes/missions

1998 292,000 210 69

2008 750,000 275 95

New York* 2.5 million 836 402

source: Archdioceses of Atlanta and New York

*2008 estimate