Cardinal Robert McElroy has no plans to meet President Donald Trump after he is installed as the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., in two weeks, yet the cardinal has had a telephone call with former President Joe Biden to discuss the pope’s health crisis.
The Catholic Church’s role in the nation’s capital is not to solve political problems or steer policy but to give witness to those affected by national initiatives, McElroy said Feb. 27 in his final news conference as San Diego’s Catholic spiritual leader.
“We’re in a turning-point moment in the history of our country,” McElroy said. “This is a moment where we really have to grapple with: What does it mean in our society to be a compassionate society … and we believe in the human dignity of every person?”
He added: “Those are the areas of witness that the church is called to bring.”
Sweeping layoffs at federal agencies are likely to have hit many of the more than 500,000 Catholics in the District of Columbia and southern Maryland where McElroy will serve as spiritual shepherd.
To continue reading the rest of the interview, click here.
With thanks to National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Ken Stone, where this article originally appeared.
