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Pope Francis names 1st Black cardinal in the U.S.

Wilton Gregory
Posted at 7:18 AM, Oct 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-25 10:18:32-04

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has named 13 new cardinals, including Washington D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, who would become the first Black U.S. prelate to earn the coveted red hat.

In a surprise announcement from his studio window Sunday to the faithful below in St. Peter’s Square, Francis said the churchmen would be elevated to a cardinal’s rank in a ceremony on Nov. 28.

Other new cardinals include an Italian who is the long-time papal preacher at the Vatican, and churchmen from Rwanda, the Philippines and Chile. The former director of the Rome Catholic charity, Caritas, the Rev. Enrico Feroci, also made the list.