Cardinal Walter McElroy of San Diego is named by Pope Francis to replace the retiring Cardinal Wilton Gregory leading the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

Pope Francis is moving the head of San Diego’s Roman Catholic Diocese to Washington, D.C., placing a prominent ally, as well as a supporter of migrant and LGBTQ communities, in the nation’s capital as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to launch mass deportations and a rollback of transgender rights.

Pope Francis on Monday tapped cardinal Robert W. McElroy, the bishop of San Diego, as the next Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C. Why it matters: McElroy, a vocal ally for migrants, women and LBGTQ people in the church,