Pope Francis appointed the first Black Cardinal, Wilton Gregory and now he could be his successor

Cardinal Wilton Gregory has ties to Atlanta

The death of Pope Francis, the 88-year-old pontiff, who led the world’s nearly 1.5 billion Catholics for the last 12 years, has set the stage for who will be the next pope.

As the world turns its attention to Vatican City, where cardinals will gather and carry out that process.

Former Atlanta archbishop Wilton Gregory could be next in line.

As cardinal, Gregory, was elevated to the position by Francis in 2020.

At 77, he most recently served as archbishop of the Washington, D.C., archdiocese before stepping down from the role in January. He is now archbishop emeritus.