WASHINGTON — The Archdiocese of Washington announced that Cardinal Robert McElroy has been diagnosed with cancer, which was to be surgically removed on Nov. 13.
The announcement said that Cardinal McElroy has well-differentiated liposarcoma, which is a non-aggressive cancer that tends not to metastasize. For these reasons, the cardinal’s doctors are in consensus that his prognosis is very good.
Cardinal McElroy spoke with the priests of the archdiocese about this diagnosis during their annual convocation on Nov. 4 and said to them that “I am at peace with this challenge and hope and believe that in God’s grace I will be Archbishop of Washington for many years to come. I ask your prayers and support.”
Cardinal McElroy served in the Diocese of San Diego for 10 years, from April of 2015 to last March, when he took over the archdiocese of Washington.
The late Pope Francis named then Bishop McElroy to the College of Cardinals in May of 2022.
During his leadership at the Diocese San Diego, Cardinal McElroy implemented at the local level the major initiatives launched by the late Pope Francis. These included environmental projects, to support the Pope’s landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, and synods, or consultations, of the faithful about family life and young adults.
In October of 2021, Cardinal McElroy began a multi-year effort focused on synodality. The goal of this ongoing effort is to invite everyone, including those on the margins, to come together to discern how to proclaim the Gospel more effectively while promoting a renewal of the life of the Church itself.
The Catholic Standard, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington, contributed to this story.
