A Catholic leader in the D.C. area will undergo surgery next week to remove a cancerous growth.
Cardinal Robert McElroy, the eighth Archbishop of Washington, has been diagnosed with liposarcoma, and he will have the cancer surgically removed on Nov. 13, the Archdiocese of Washington said in an update on its website Wednesday.
The statement said that McElroy’s prognosis is good, as the cancer is nonaggressive and tends not to metastasize.
“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,” the 71-year old said in a statement. “I ask your prayers and support in these days and plan to resume full duties two weeks after the surgery.”
McElroy was appointed to the Archdiocese of Washington, which includes D.C. and several Maryland counties, by Pope Francis in January. He became a cardinal in 2022.
In 2010, McElroy was appointed as an auxiliary bishop in San Francisco by Pope Benedict XVI, and in 2015 he became the sixth bishop of the Archdiocese of San Diego.
He was born in San Francisco, and attended Harvard College in 1972. He obtained a masters in divinity at St. Patrick Seminary in 1979.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
