Robert W. McElroy | |
|---|---|
| Cardinal,Archbishop of Washington | |
.jpg) McElroy in 2022 | |
| Church | Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Washington |
| Appointed | January 6, 2025 |
| Installed | March 11, 2025 |
| Predecessor | Wilton Daniel Gregory |
| Other post | Cardinal Priest ofSan Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali (2022–present) |
| Previous posts |
|
| Orders | |
| Ordination | April 12, 1980 by John Raphael Quinn |
| Consecration | September 7, 2010 by George Hugh Niederauer |
| Created cardinal | August 27, 2022 byPope Francis |
| Rank | Cardinal priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1954-02-05)February 5, 1954 (age 71) San Francisco,California, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Motto | Dignitatis humanae (Latin for 'Of Human Dignity') |
| Coat of arms |  |
| Styles of Robert Walter McElroy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Religious style | Cardinal |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
Robert Walter McElroy (born February 5, 1954) is anAmerican Catholic prelate who was elevated to thecardinalate byPope Francis in 2022. He was appointed asArchbishop of Washington (DC) on January 6, 2025, and installed on March 11, 2025. He previously served as theBishop of San Diego from 2015 to 2025.
McElroy was ordained a priest for theArchdiocese of San Francisco in 1980. He later received advanced theological degrees fromSanta Clara University and thePontifical Gregorian University and has written articles for the Jesuit magazineAmerica. McElroy was widely regarded as a supporter of the progressive policies ofPope Francis.[1]
Robert McElroy was born into a Catholic family in San Francisco, California, on February 5, 1954.[2] One of five children, he was born to Walter and Roberta McElroy.[3] He grew up in San Mateo County.[4] McElroy was educated atSt. Joseph's High School Seminary, run by theSulpician Fathers, and after graduating he enteredHarvard University in 1972 to pursue education outside of the seminary system.[5]
McElroy earned aB.A. in history fromHarvard University in 1975 and anM.A. inAmerican history fromStanford University in 1976.[2][4][6] He returned to the seminary in fall 1976 and in 1979 graduated fromSt. Patrick's Seminary, where he earned aMaster of Divinity degree.[5][4][7] On April 12, 1980, McElroy was ordained to thepriesthood by ArchbishopJohn Raphael Quinn at St. Mary's Cathedral for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.[2][4]
After ordination, McElroy pursued further advanced studies. In 1985, he obtained aLicentiate of Sacred Theology (STL) from theJesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University with a thesis entitledFreedom for Faith: John Courtney Murray and the Constitutional Question, 1942–1954.[2][4][6] In 1986, he obtained aDoctor of Sacred Theology (STD) degree in moral theology from thePontifical Gregorian University with a dissertation entitledJohn Courtney Murray and the Secular Crisis: Foundations for an American Catholic Public Theology. McElroy also received a Doctor of Political Science degree from Stanford in 1989 with a dissertation entitledMorality and American Foreign Policy: The Role of Moral Norms in International Affairs.[4][8]
McElroy taught ethics atSaint Patrick's Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California, and was guest professor ofsocial ethics at the University of San Francisco in the Fall of 2008.
Once ordained in 1980, McElroy was assigned to a pastoral position in St. Cecilia Parish in San Francisco, California. From 1982 to 1985, McElroy served as secretary to ArchbishopJohn Quinn.[4] In 1983, McElroy was one of three priests who drafted a report for the archdiocesan Priests' Senate entitled "Ministry and Sexuality in the Archdiocese of San Francisco" that stated that "the homosexual orientation is not held to be a sinful condition" but called homosexual persons to "[live] out the demands of chastity within that orientation," endorsing a gradualist approach that "assists the person toward a progressive assimilation of the church's ethical values."[9]
In a 1989 PBS segment on the AIDS epidemic, McElroy expressed opposition to LGBT relationships. He criticized San Francisco's recognition of LGBT couples as domestic partnerships, arguing that it destabilized traditional family structures. He stated, 'It undermines the stability of the family. It is society saying "we don't care whether you live together, or whether you are married and raise a family within the context of marriage."'[10]
From 1989 to 1995, he wasparochial vicar at Saint Pius Church inRedwood City, California.[11] In 1995, Archbishop Quinn appointed McElroy to bevicar general of the archdiocese, an office he held under Archbishop Quinn and CardinalWilliam Levada until 1997.[4][7][11] In 1996, McElroy was made anhonorary prelate byPope John Paul II.[4] From 1997 to 2010, McElroy served as the pastor of St. Gregory Church inSan Mateo, California.[3][4][6][7]
In 2005, McElroy published an essay on the denial of the Eucharist to public officials because of their political positions. He criticized those who adopt what he called the "sanctions position" for a lack of "pastoral solicitude", noted the expansion of grounds for sanctions from abortion toeuthanasia and other issues by one diocese or another, questioned the lack of clarity as to what behavior triggers sanctions, and cited the occasions when John Paul II distributed theEucharist to political leaders who favored legalized abortion. He proposed that the church's traditional "theology of scandal" should be invoked rather than employing Eucharistic practice as a means of discipline. He warned that imposing sanctions on individuals harms the church by appearing coercive, strengthens the argument of abortion advocates that the church is attempting to impose its religious beliefs on society at large, downplays the breadth of the church's social agenda, and tends to "cast the church as a partisan actor in the American political system."[12]
On July 6, 2010, McElroy was appointed anauxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and titular bishop ofGemellae inByzacena byPope Benedict XVI. On September 7, 2010, McElroy received his episcopal consecration from ArchbishopGeorge Niederauer, with Archbishop Emeritus Quinn and BishopJohn Wester serving as co-consecrators.[13] As auxiliary bishop, McElroy was the archdiocesan vicar for parish life and development.[3]
Writing in theJesuit monthly magazineAmerica in 2014, McElroy argued that the emphasis ofPope Francis on inequality inCatholic social teaching
did not go over well with many American Catholics, who criticized his statement for being radical, simplistic, and confusing. This rebuff stands in stark and telling contrast to the otherwise enthusiastic reception the new pope has met with in the United States. From the moment of his election, Pope Francis has captured the attention of the American people with his message and manner, even as he has challenged us all to deep renewal and reform in our lives. Americans take heart in the pope's call to build an ecclesiastical culture that casts off judgmentalism; they applaud structural reforms at the Vatican; and they admire Francis's continuing focus on the pastoral needs of ordinary men and women.[14]
On March 3, 2015, McElroy was appointed the sixth Bishop of San Diego by Francis, succeeding the late BishopCirilo Flores. The diocese serves about one million Catholics inSan Diego andImperial counties.[15] His installation took place on April 15, 2015, at St. Therese of Carmel Catholic Church.[16][17]
McElroy is widely regarded as a supporter of the progressive policies of Francis.[1] He has written frequently and extensively onsocial inequality and the Church's social justice mission.[6][18] In his first public appearance in San Diego, he pledged to champion the cause of the homeless, to support comprehensive immigration reform, and to ban anyone who has abused minors from serving in the clergy or other employment in the diocese.[19]
Balancing the need for just compensation for victims of sexual abuse and the need to continue the Church’s mission of education, pastoral service and outreach to the poor and the marginalized, it was determined under McElroy's leadership thatChapter 11 reorganization—bankruptcy for the second time—would be the best way forward for the Diocese in 2024.[20][21][22][23]
In a discussion over the formation of the 2015 document "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship" by theUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), McElroy argued that the document focused excessively on abortion andeuthanasia. He said that "alongside the issues of abortion and euthanasia, which are central issues in our effort to transform this world, poverty and thedegradation of the earth are also central. But this document keeps to the structure of the world view of 2007. It tilts in favor of abortion and euthanasia and excludes poverty and the environment." He called for the document to be scrapped entirely. His comments were reported to have visibly irritated CardinalDaniel DiNardo, who was then serving as vice president of the USCCB and who later became its president.[24] In a speech delivered on February 17, 2016, McElroy called on Catholics "to recognize and confront the ugly tide of anti-Islamic bigotry" in the United States. He denounced as "repeated falsehoods" claims that Islam is a violent religion and compared these allegations to19th century anti-Catholicism in America.[25]
McElroy is currently the vice-president of the California Catholic Conference and serves at the USCCB on the administrative committee, the ecumenical committee, the committee on domestic justice and the committee on international affairs.[3] In 2017 he preached at thevigil the night before the funeral Mass ofArchbishop Quinn.[26]
McElroy, like most members of the Church hierarchy, including Pope Francis and the USCCB, opposed plans by U.S. PresidentDonald Trump to build a wall along theMexico–United States border to limit illegal immigration. In March 2018, Trump visited California to view prototypes for the wall. After the visit, McElroy said,
"It is a sad day for our country when we trade the majestic, hope-filled symbolism of theStatue of Liberty for an ineffective and grotesque wall, which both displays and inflames the ethnic and cultural divisions that have long been the underside of our national history."[27]
At a 2018 meeting, McElroy was asked by several lay Catholics about an openly gay man, Aaron Bianco, who was working at St. John the Evangelist Parish. In response to one of their questions, McElroy said, "If the Church eliminated all the employees who are not living out the teachings of the Church in its fullness, we would be employing only angels."[28]
In 2020, three weeks prior to theUS presidential election, McElroy criticized those questioning Biden's personal Catholic faith based on his positions on abortion, characterizing "the public denial of candidates' identity as Catholics because of a specific policy position they have taken" as "an assault on the meaning of what it is to be Catholic." McElroy said that although acts of abortion are intrinsically evil, legislation about it is a matter of prudential judgement, though he noted that the commitment to reducing the numbers of abortions that occur "has been eviscerated in the Democratic Party in a capitulation to notions of privacy that simply block out the human identity and rights of unborn children." McElroy stated that Catholic identity does not stand or fall on a single policy position. Catholic social teaching and identity encompasses such things as solidarity, compassion, love for the church, and "having a grace-filled relationship with God".[29]
On May 29, 2022, Francis announced his intention to make McElroy a cardinal.[30] On August 27, 2022, Pope Francis made him aCardinal-Priest ofSan Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali.[30][31][32]
In September 2024, McElroy issued a policy that bannedhomeschool co-op groups from using parochial facilities within the diocese, claiming that it "undermined the stability of nearby Catholic schools and lead people to think that the Church is approving and advancing particular alternative schools and programs.” Some criticised this decision, due to it allowing parishes to rent space to non-Catholic schools on a "case-by-case basis".[33][34]
On Sunday morning, February 9, 2025, McElroy led aprotest againstDonald Trump's anti-immigration policies. The predominantly Latino congregation marched downtown, ending with an afternoon vigil atSt. Joseph Cathedral where every pew was filled.[35]
In 2016, McElroy had two meetings with psychotherapist and clerical sex abuse expertRichard Sipe, during which Sipe made allegations about current and former bishops. McElroy had asked Sipe for any corroborating material to substantiate his allegations. McElroy later stated, "I asked if he could share this information with me, especially since some of his accusations involved persons still active in the life of the Church. Dr. Sipe said that he was precluded from sharing specific documentary information that corroborated his claims." Subsequently, Sipe had a letter discussing alleged sexual misconduct by retired CardinalTheodore McCarrick and other clerics, disguised as a major donation, hand-delivered to McElroy's office by aprocess server. In addition to delivering the letter to McElroy, Sipe published the letter publicly on his website.[36]
A wide variety of allegations of sexual assault against adults and minors against McCarrick became public knowledge in June 2018 after an allegation of sex abuse of a minor was deemed credible by the Vatican.[37] Subsequently, McElroy released a statement in which he acknowledged meeting with Sipe and receiving his letter, but stated that "After I read [the letter], I wrote to Dr. Sipe and told him that his decision to engage a process server who operated under false pretenses, and his decision to copy his letter to me to a wide audience, made further conversations at a level of trust impossible." McElroy further stated that
"Dr. Sipe made many significant contributions to understanding the dimensions of clergy sexual abuse in the United States and to the assistance of victims. But the limitations on his willingness to share corroborating information made it impossible to know what was real and what was rumor."[36]
A 2018 article inAmerica reported that "[McElroy] said that the material he received from Mr. Sipe was passed on to the proper governing bodies in Rome."[38]
InAmerica, McElroy called for a change in sacramental discipline related to the reception of communion by sexually activeLGBT people. He emphasized "the privileged place" of conscience and that sexual activity does not lie at the heart of the hierarchy of truths. He also said: "The distinction between orientation and activity cannot be the principal focus for such a pastoral embrace because it inevitably suggests dividing the L.G.B.T. community into those who refrain from sexual activity and those who do not."[39]
In a February 2024 speech, McElroy said that much of the opposition toFiducia Supplicans was based on "enduring animus" against gays and lesbians.[40] He said further thatFiducia Supplicans was part of a "move toward decentralization" in the Catholic Church. He added "We have witnessed the reality that bishops of various parts of the world have made rapidly divergent decisions about the acceptability of such blessings in their countries".[41]
On January 6, 2025, Pope Francis appointed McElroy to succeedWilton Gregory as Archbishop of Washington, DC.[42][43] He was installed March 11, 2025.[44]
McElroy participated in the2025 papal conclave as one of thecardinal electors that electedPope Leo XIV.[45]
McElroy published two books as a priest, related to his dissertations at the Pontifical Gregorian University and Stanford.
He has also written four articles forAmerica magazine.[46][47]
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by – | Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco 2010–2015 | Succeeded by – |
| Preceded by | — TITULAR — Bishop of Gemellae in Byzacena 2010–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Bishop of San Diego 2015–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Cardinal Priest of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali 2022–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Archbishop of Washington 2025–present | |
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