MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Pope Francis has selected a vocal critic of President-elect Donald Trump as the new archbishop of Washington, D.C. It is one of the most high-profile Catholic leadership positions in the U.S., and he has selected San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy. NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose is with us now to tell us more about this. Good morning, Jason.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: Good morning.
MARTIN: Let's start with the incoming archbishop's criticisms of Donald Trump. What has he said?
DEROSE: Well, a few specific areas have been a focus for McElroy. He called the Muslim ban during the first Trump administration religious prejudice. This was, of course, the ban on people from predominantly Muslim countries entering the U.S. McElroy also worked against family separations at the border, which took place during the first Trump administration. And he's been especially vocal about Trump's threats of mass deportations. He's called them gravely evil. McElroy says it's unthinkable to rip people out of their homes and their lives and their Catholic congregations. And, Michel, he says Catholics should oppose deportations with the same energy they give to abortion.
MARTIN: Why is McElroy taking up immigration as an issue?
DEROSE: Well, some of it has to do with the fact that he's been the archbishop of San Diego for nearly a decade, right there at the U.S.-Mexico border. Some of his flock are immigrants and some are refugees. He saw what family separations did to people there. And it's also a deeply theological and deeply biblical issue for Cardinal McElroy. Here he is speaking at a University of California event saying it should matter to all Catholics because God as Jesus came to humans as a refugee.
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ROBERT MCELROY: Our scriptures tell us that Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to flee out of Israel into Egypt because of oppression. They were refugees.
MARTIN: Jason, remind us what he's referencing there.
DEROSE: Well, he's talking about a story in the New Testament from the Gospel of Matthew, which many people may have actually heard read in church during Christmas recently. In that story, King Herod wants to kill the baby Jesus, and so the family flees to Egypt to escape. McElroy says that this story helps draw attention to the plight of all people fleeing oppression and that it signals that refugees and immigrants should be met with compassion.
MARTIN: What's been the reaction so far to Pope Francis naming Cardinal McElroy as the D.C. archbishop?
DEROSE: Well, it's hard to divorce this announcement from the fact that Trump is about to take office. And remember that incoming Vice President JD Vance is Catholic. McElroy is a strong surrogate for Pope Francis and his agenda. I spoke with the executive director of the Catholic group Call To Action named Black Moses Rankins. He's one of many progressive Catholics thrilled by this announcement.
BLACK MOSES RANKINS: We've been using church to say why these people should be scapegoated, why these people should be pushed to the side. The appointment of McElroy says, wait, hold up. Actually, those people do belong a part of God. You are supposed to care for them.
MARTIN: And what about politically conservative Catholics?
DEROSE: Well, they've been critical of McElroy for his stance on immigration and on other issues within the church, including his work toward inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics in the life of the church. But the appointment, I think, Michel, reiterates Pope Francis' position that immigration politics are something Catholics need to take seriously and that he's willing to go toe to toe with the Trump administration.
MARTIN: That's NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose. Jason, thank you.
DEROSE: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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