This morning Pope Francis announced that he has accepted my resignation as Archbishop of Washington and has named as my successor Robert Cardinal McElroy, until now the Bishop of San Diego. I receive this news with many emotions;

Observers say progressive new archbishop of Washington is expected to speak out for immigrants, LGBTQ persons and the marginalized. "A very strong voice to counter the horrors," a college president predicts.

Robert McElroy, 70, is expected to be named to the high-profile Roman Catholic post in the nation's capital, according to the National Catholic Reporter, followed by other sources.