By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 5, 2025 / 11:11 am
Cardinal Robert McElroy, the 71-year-old archbishop of Washington, D.C., has been diagnosed with cancer but has a good prognosis for recovery, according to an archdiocesan announcement on Wednesday morning, Nov. 5.
According to the statement, McElroy’s cancer will be surgically removed on Nov. 13, and his doctors “are in consensus that his prognosis is very good.”
“The precise diagnosis is that Cardinal McElroy has well-differentiated liposarcoma, which is a nonaggressive cancer that tends not to metastasize,” the statement read.
“Last night Cardinal McElroy spoke with the priests of the archdiocese about this diagnosis during their annual convocation and said to them that ‘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. I ask your prayers and support in these days and plan to resume full duties two weeks after the surgery,’” the statement added.
McElroy was installed as archbishop of the nation’s capital on March 11 following an appointment by Pope Francis. He was made a cardinal in 2022 while serving as bishop of the Diocese of San Diego.
This story was updated Nov. 14, 2025.
