According to multiple sources in Rome, one of the strongest voices in favor of a "clean break" replacement in Washington was Wuerl himself.
In addition to cautioning against another Newark-Washington move, sources also told CNA that Wuerl expressed deep reservations about other candidates who, though often touted as potential successors to Washington, had some connection to McCarrick or the scandal he created.
While various names were proposed, with Bishop Frank Caggiano of Bridgeport known to have been suggested at one point, none were able to achieve both consensus at the Congregation and papal approval.
The eventual consensus that formed around Gregory's name appears to have been shaped by a number of factors.
As the president of the USCCB between 2001 and 2004, Gregory is no stranger to dealing with the fallout of scandal, having played a leading role in the formation and implementation of the Dallas Charter and USCCB Essential Norms after the last sex abuse crisis.
Together with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Gregory is part of a special task-force charged by the U.S. bishops with developing new proposals for enhanced episcopal accountability.
A Chicago native, Gregory arrived in Atlanta fourteen years ago, having previously served as Bishop of Belleville and as an auxiliary in his home diocese.
Known to preserve close ties to his hometown, Gregory was at one time considered a likely candidate to follow Cardinal Francis George in Chicago. According to several sources at the Congregation for Bishops, it was George's eventual successor, Cardinal Cupich, who proved instrumental in cementing Gregory's nomination.
In addition to his distance from McCarrick's former dioceses and his experience in responding to abuse scandals, Gregory's appointment also represents a long-awaited historic moment in the Church in America.
As the first African-American archbishop of an unquestionably top-tier diocese, he will be expected to be made a cardinal in the near future, possibly even before Cardinal Wuerl ages out of eligibility to vote in a papal conclave when he turns 80, more than a year from now.
At least some seem to believe Gregory's elevation to become a cardinal is a foregone conclusion, or even a fait accompli. An initial statement released by the Archdiocese of Chicago, possibly in error, welcomed Gregory's appointment "to the College of Cardinals."
Gregory himself is 71, and arrives in Washington fewer than four years from the normal retirement age for bishops. While he faces a difficult final task in restoring confidence among the capital's faithful, his age may have weighed in favor of his appointment, because he comes with a built-in option either to retire at 75 if he does not take to the role, or to continue in office past 75 if he does.
There will be some in Rome and Washington who will greet Gregory warmly, while quietly viewing him as a stop-gap appointment, a compromise after months of curial back-and-forth.
But Gregory could confound such a view, by turning his age to his advantage.
Gregory could, if he so chose, seize the opportunity to be more than a temporary steadying hand. As Archbishop of Washington, likely a cardinal too, his will be one of the loudest voices in the Church in the U.S.
If he so chooses, the new archbishop could write himself into history as the face of transparency and reform in the American hierarchy, especially given the freedom that will come from having to lead his diocese for only a few years' time.
Alternatively, he could opt to see out his term quietly, restoring a sense of normalcy to a diocese hit hard by scandal.
The saying goes: "beware the old man in a hurry." It remains to be seen what kind of hurry Gregory will be in, and how urgently and deeply he intends to leave his mark on Washington.
This story has been updated.
Ed Condon is a canon lawyer and worked as Catholic News Agency's Washington DC editor until December 2020.