Catholic News Agency: Gregory to be named archbishop of Washington

March 25, 2016 Atlanta - Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory closes his eyes in prayer at the second station of the cross at Talmadge Park. Attendants commemorated the stations of the cross along the pilgrimage and reflected on issues at every station. TAYLOR CARPENTER / TAYLOR.CARPENTER@AJC.COM

By Shelia Poole

March 29, 2019

The Catholic News Agency is reporting that Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, 71, will be named the new archbishop of Washington, D.C.

According to the CNA, Pope Francis is expected to make an announcement as early as next week. The pontiff is facing a church crisis over the sexual abuse scandals in the United States and overseas.

The Archdiocese of Atlanta could not be reached for comment. Gregory is the sixth Archbishop of Atlanta.

He would succeed Cardinal Donald Wuerl as archbishop of Washington, D.C. Pope Francis accepted Wuerl’s resignation last year. He is the former bishop of Pittsburgh.

Last year, a Pennsylvania grand jury produced a shocking report that detailed decades of abuse and cover ups of church officials. Some of those”predator” priests were under Wuerl’s supervision.

Gregory is the former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and helped craft the response to sexual abuse scandals.