Pope Francis names Archbishop Wilton Gregory as new head of Washington Church

Pope Francis has named Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory as the new head of the Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., the Vatican said on Thursday. He will succeed two consecutive holders of the post who were caught up in sexual abuse scandals.

Gregory, 71, becomes the first African-American to hold the most influential position in the U.S. Church, and as such is likely to be made a cardinal eligible to vote in a conclave to elect the next pope after Francis dies or resigns.