U.S. Catholic Bishops Group Elects First Black President

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Tuesday elected Bishop Wilton Gregory of Illinois as its president--the first African American to hold the position.

Gregory, 53, has led the Belleville, Ill., diocese since 1994. He has written extensively on such issues as the death penalty and euthanasia.

Immediately upon Gregory’s election, calls of delight from around the country poured in to the bishops conference, meeting in Washington.

“You have to remember, in the earlier part of the 1800s no one would even ordain a black man to be a priest,” said Beverly Carroll, executive director of the bishops conference’s secretariat for African American Catholics. “To go from that to electing someone to the highest office in the United States? It means so much--especially for our older black Catholics. They thought they would never live to see a black man lead the U.S. bishops.”

About 2 million African Americans--7% of U.S. blacks--are estimated to be Catholic, including about 350 priests. Of the church’s 200 U.S. bishops, 13 are black, Carroll said.

Gregory, a Chicago native, was ordained in 1973 after completing studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary. He earned a doctorate in sacred liturgy at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome. He is widely regarded as personable and accessible as well as an outstanding administrator.

“This tells the wider church that we have people who are qualified, who are experienced, to move into high-level positions,” said Hilbert Stanley, director of the Baltimore-based National Black Catholic Congress.

In recent years black clergy members have worked to convince black people that they are welcome, and urged the church to become more culturally relevant. Gregory’s election, some activists said, is proof the work paid off.

“This is a sign of the universality of the church,” said Father Chester Smith, president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. “I think it shows an opening of that leadership that’s seen as a Eurocentric, white leadership. It is really a sign of hope.”