Fr. James Martin, SJ / Facebook
CV NEWS FEED // During his March 11 installation Mass as archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy emphasized the need for Christian hope and unity in a world burdened by suffering and division.
Cardinal McElroy, who has led the Diocese of San Diego since 2015, was appointed by Pope Francis Jan. 6 to succeed Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, whose retirement was accepted upon reaching the customary age.
Addressing clergy, civic leaders, and the faithful gathered for his installation Mass, Cardinal McElroy reflected on the call to be “pilgrims of hope” during Jubilee Year 2025, urging Catholics to trust in God’s presence amid life’s challenges.
He illustrated this theme by recalling the 2010 rescue of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for 69 days. Despite facing what seemed like an impossible situation, the miners refused to lose faith, organizing daily prayers and relying on each other for strength.
According to the Cardinal, one of the miners later explained, “We had some terrible moments. But we placed our lives in the hand of God and knew that God would find a way to stand with us.”
Cardinal McElroy pointed to this as the essence of Christian hope: the conviction that “in our moments of greatest need, God will find a way to stand with us.”
Cardinal McElroy drew from Scripture to highlight three marks of Christian hope. First, he pointed to Mary Magdalene, who remained at Christ’s tomb in sorrow but not despair. Her perseverance led her to encounter the risen Jesus, transforming her entire understanding of life and mission.
“For the disciple, the constant encounter with the passion, cross, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the essential foundation for bringing a truly Christian notion of hope into our lives and into our world,” he said.
Cardinal McElroy then turned to the words of St. Paul: “I consider that the sufferings of the present are as nothing to be compared with the glory to be revealed in us,” (Rom 8:18). Pope Francis, he noted, has often described the Church as a “field hospital,” a place where all are wounded and in need of healing.
“All of us are wounded, all of us are in pain, all of us are sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness,” Cardinal McElroy said, adding that the Church itself must also acknowledge its own failings, particularly in its duty to protect the young from abuse.
He emphasized that it is God who “bestows mercy on us, and calls us in turn to become bestowers of mercy on others.” Mercy, he said, must be the Church’s first impulse in confronting sin and human weakness, just as Christ extends mercy to all who seek him.
Finally, the Cardinal spoke about the need to see the world through God’s eyes. He described the divisions that plague society — whether in politics, religion, or daily life — and stressed that the Church’s witness must be one of unity, especially in defending the dignity of the poor, the migrant, and the unborn.
“The only effective witness that our Church can give to the world is to view every conflict which surrounds us through the eyes of God,” he said.
Cardinal McElroy called on the faithful to reject division and instead embrace the hope found in the Gospel.
“The miners in Chile believed that in their greatest moment of need, God would find a way to stand with them,” he said. “Let us share that conviction in this moment, as we begin our pilgrimage together in this Jubilee Year of hope and grace.”
