Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy, a vocal defender of migrants and critic of Donald Trump’s first administration, as the next archbishop of Washington, DC.

San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy will replace the retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the Vatican said in an announcement Monday.

One church historian calls the decision a ‘bold move’ by the Pope and a ‘statement’ to the incoming administration.

Pope Francis named Cardinal Robert McElroy as the eighth Archbishop of Washington, DC, succeeding Cardinal Wilton Gregory.

During Trump's first administration, Cardinal McElroy sharply criticised his plan to launch a mass deportation campaign targeting millions of immigrants living in the United States.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, 70, has been the bishop of San Diego since 2015. He sharply criticized Trump's plan during his first administration to launch a mass deportation campaign targeting millions of immigrants living in the United States.

Pope Francis taps one of most outspoken and progressive-leaning U.S. Catholic leaders to Washington, D.C. ahead of Trump term, immigration battle.

Pope Francis is moving the head of San Diego’s Roman Catholic Diocese to Washington, D.C., placing a prominent ally, as well as a supporter of migrant and LGBTQ communities, in the nation’s capital as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to launch mass deportations and a rollback of transgender rights.

Pope Francis selected San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy, who once called for anti-Trump "disruptors," to lead the Catholic Church in Washington, D.C.

Pope Francis on Monday tapped cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the bishop of San Diego, as the next Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C. Why it matters: McElroy, a vocal ally for migrants, women and LBGTQ people in the church,