First Black USCCB
President Installed As Archbishop Of Atlanta
First black
USCCB
president installed as archbishop of Atlanta
 Atlanta,
Jan. 18, 2005 (CNA) - Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory was installed as
Atlanta's sixth archbishop yesterday, Jan. 17, which also marked the
memorial of Martin Luther King Jr. He succeeds Archbishop John F.
Donoghue, who resigned according to canon law after having reached 75
years old.
The first black
president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he chose the
holiday for his installation as a tribute to King, whose widow, Coretta
Scott King, was in attendance among the 8,000 gathered for the ceremony
at the Georgia International Convention Center.
The 57-year-old
Chicago native began his address in Spanish, saying he was eager to work
in the increasingly diverse population of Atlanta, reported the
Associated Press. Serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Belleville,
Ill., Archbishop Gregory led the USCCB through the sex abuse scandal
that erupted in 2001, shortly after he was named USCCB president.
The Archdiocese of
Atlanta has 370,000 faithful and 98 parishes. Its population has doubled
in size since 1990.
Reprinted
with the permission of Catholic News Agency (CNA)
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