Wilton Gregory, a longtime Catholic cleric who has been a leader in the church's efforts to address its sexual abuse crisis for more than two decades, was installed Tuesday as Washington's first African American archbishop.
Gregory takes the helm of one of the most prominent Catholic dioceses, in the nation's capital, at a time when the church is once again under siege. The new archbishop must reassure local Catholics stunned by the misdeeds of the previous two archbishops, while the Vatican fumbles its way toward more effective approaches to preventing abuse and disillusioned American members leave the church.
Under the grand dome of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, North America's largest Catholic church, Gregory was loudly cheered by eight red-robed cardinals, almost 50 bishops and thousands of Catholic faithful, as he held out the paper scroll proclaiming him the Washington archbishop. For many, he represents a beacon of hope, that a new leader can set right a stricken community.
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