Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, Atlanta’s former archbishop who now leads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Washington, D.C., has tested positive for COVID-19.
Prayers and well-wishes poured in for the 74-year-old cardinal Friday evening after he announced on his Twitter page that he had contracted the virus and plans to quarantine.
“I feel fine,” Gregory assured his followers in his tweet. “No pains, fever, or other symptoms. I’m sorry to miss being present this weekend at our Cathedral & with the Haitian community. I’ll follow my doctor’s advice & not be in public. I’ll miss my annual retreat. I ask for your prayers.”
Gregory served 14 years as Atlanta’s archbishop before moving to Washington in 2019 when he became leader of the prestigious archdiocese in the nation’s capitol.
The Atlanta archdiocese covers 69 North Georgia counties, including Athens and all of metro Atlanta. The region has an estimated 1.2 million Catholics in 103 parishes and missions, according to the archdiocese.
Gregory became one of the millions who have fallen ill since the fast-moving omicron variant of COVID-19 was first reported in the U.S. last month. According to The Washington Post, the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia tri-state area has become a hot spot for the pandemic with more than 1.9 million cases.
It was not clear if Gregory has contracted the omicron strand, but the variant has shown up in 95% of all new positive cases, The New York Times reported. It’s fueled the latest wave of the virus, which saw the United States eclipse its single-day record for new cases on two consecutive days this past week.
Pope Francis appointed Gregory as a cardinal in November 2020, becoming the first African American to hold that role.
Gregory, a Chicago native, began his career in 1973 when he was ordained a Catholic priest in the Windy City. He served as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2001-2004 and laid out a comprehensive plan to address minors’ sexual abuse allegations against priests and other Catholic clergy, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
About the Author
