Pope Francis’ decision to appoint a liberal cardinal to the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. was reportedly done in response to

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.

ROME — Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of Donald Trump ’s second administration.

The appointment of Robert W. McElroy is a signal of the pope’s priorities, two weeks before Donald J. Trump’s term begins.

Outspokenly progressive, Cardinal McElroy is now poised to take over the ecclesiastical territory of the nation’s capital just as Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term as president of the United States.

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.

Pope Francis has named like-minded San Francisco native Cardinal Robert McElroy as the archbishop of Washington, D.C.

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Robert McElroy as Archbishop of Washington. This choice carries undeniable political weight, reflecting the profound opposition between the Californian cleric and the incoming Republican President Donald Trump.

Cardinal Robert McElroy has supported migrants and said the church should be more inclusive to women and LGBT people.

The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Francis appointed Cardinal McElroy, 70, as archbishop of Washington, a high-profile see that includes about 667,000 Catholics in the District of Columbia and five counties in southern Maryland.

Observers say progressive new archbishop of Washington is expected to speak out for immigrants, LGBTQ persons and the marginalized. "A very strong voice to counter the horrors," a college president predicts.