Pope Francis Appoints first Africa-Amercian cardinal

On Sunday, 25th October 2020; Pope Francis has officially named 13 new cardinals including Washington D. C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, a cardinal, elevating the first African-Amercian to the Catholic church’s highest governing body, a groundbreaking act in a year when demands for racial justice have consumed the country.

The sudden public declaration emanated from the studio window to faithful standing in St. Peter’s Square, Francis made it known that the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on November 28, 2020.

The mentioned new cardinals consists of an Italian who is the long-time papal preacher at the vatican, the Rev. Raniero Catalamessa, a Franciscan fiar; the Kigali, Rwanda, Archbishop Antoine Kambanda; the Capiz, Philippines, Archbishop Jose Feurte Advincula, and the Santiago, Chile, Archbishop Celestino Aos Braco.

More also, another Franciscan who was included is Fria Mauro Gambetti, who is in charge of Sacred Covent in Assisi. When elected as the newly appointed pope in 2013, he chose St. Francis of Assisi as his namesake saint.

In an aforemention of the pope’s statement in helping those in need, Francis likewised appointed former director of the Rome Catholic charity, Caritas, the Rev. Enrico Feroci to be a cardinal.

Archbishop Gregory who was the president of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2004, before his appointment, Black Catholics were excluded from seminars and meetings and religious orders, few years later when they were included, they mostly delegated with positions with little or no power or autonomous authority said Shannen Dee Williams, assistant professor of history at Villanova University.

According to her, she affirmed that his appointment was a culmination of a long-standing Black Catholic freedom struggle against racism, slavery , segregation and exclusion within the U.S. church.

Wilton’s leadership was refer to as a turning point for a pivotal diocese previously led by Theodore McCarrick and Final Wuerl two prelates vitiated by the church sexual abuse crisis.

On Sunday, Archbishop Gregory disclosed in a statement, “With a very grateful and humble heart, I thank Pope Francis for this appointment which will allow me to work more closely with him in caring for Christ’s Church”. He also made mention that he didn’t respond to a request for an interview.

In addition, president of Xavier University of Louisiana, the country’s only historically Black and Catholic university revealed that as many other institutions in the sphere, the Catholic Church in the United States has long minimized the experience and value of African Americans.