Cardinal Robert McElroy

Cardinal Archbishop of Washington, D.C. One of the most prominent progressive voices in the American Catholic Church. A leading critic of the Trump administration's policies on immigration and its posture toward Iran. Elevated to Washington — the most politically significant archdiocese in the United States — making him a key figure at the intersection of faith and American public life.

Connection

An old friend of Jim Fredericks.

Why Herbert Would Be Delighted

McElroy stands in the tradition of American Catholic social teaching that Herbert has always engaged ecumenically — a tradition that runs through Cardinal Joseph Bernardin (whom Herbert met directly) and through the broader Catholic voice on justice that Herbert has worked alongside throughout his career.

Cross-Connections

• Cardinal Joseph Bernardin – predecessor in the tradition of progressive American Catholic leadership; Herbert met Bernardin directly
• Pope Leo XIV – McElroy operates in the same Catholic institutional world; both connected through Herbert's circle