Wilson Gregory to become America’s first African American cardinal

Pope Francis announced on Sunday that he would name Washington's archbishop, Wilton Gregory, a cardinal next month, making him the first African American to earn such a title.

Gregory will be one of the 13 cardinals in the new class, a promotion that comes at a time when he is also trying to rebuild trust in an archdiocese rocked by sexual abuse cases.

The move was widely anticipated, as Washington archbishops are typically named as cardinals after their appointments. But it is nonetheless symbolically significant in the U.S. Catholic Church, where Blacks have been underrepresented among the leadership.

Gregory, 72, was appointed as Washington's archbishop last year, taking over for Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who had been accused of mishandling clerical abuse cases.

[SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST]

Black Catholics look forward to pope, have own issues

Black people have been part of what became the Catholic Church since Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross toward Calvary, but Sheena Turner, 22, says she still gets the question:

"You're Catholic?"

Msgr. Federico A. Britto, pastor of St. Cyprian Church in West Philadelphia, says he gets a different query:

"You're black and a priest?"

What is to some the confounding juxtaposition of black and Catholic represents a persistent image of the Catholic Church as a white institution, and the assumption that if you're black, you're Protestant, said Deacon William Bradley, director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office for Black Catholics.

But when Pope Francis visits next month, the region's black Catholics will be among the welcoming faithful, while hoping for more representation, recognition, and greater numbers in a church that has been a spiritual home for centuries.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150829_Black_Catholics_look_forward_to_pope__have_own_issues.html#eYYbRIsTERpMfQQA.99