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Pope Francis has appointed 13 new cardinals, including the first African-American to hold the post.
Wilton Gregory was imitated at a ceremony at the Vatican, where participants wore face masks and some appeared via a video link.
The 72-year-old Archbishop of Washington, DC, was announced as one of the new cardinals last month.
The Cardinals in Red are the most numerous clergy in the Catholic Church, after the Pope himself.
Their role includes electing the Pope, the head of the Church, who is elected from among them in a secret meeting, known as the Closed Council.
Since four of the newly appointed cardinals are over the age of 80, they will not be allowed to vote in the closed council in the future under church rules.
The nine new cardinals who would be eligible to vote, in addition to Gregory, are from Italy, Malta, Rwanda, the Philippines, Chile, Brunei and Mexico.
The ceremony, known as the Church Council, was interrupted due to the coronavirus. All those present wore masks except Pope Francis, and each new cardinal removed his face when he bowed to the Pope to be appointed.
The Argentine pope, who has led the Church since 2013, has appointed more than half of the 128 cardinal electors.
Who is Wilton Gregory?
A priest for 25 years, he became Archbishop of Washington in May 2019. He replaced Cardinal Donald Worrell, who had resigned amid criticism for his handling of domestic violence issues.
In the United States, Cardinal Gregory has been a prominent voice in efforts to eradicate abuse within the church. As president of the Conference of American Bishops, he persuaded church leaders to adopt harsher penalties for offenders in 2002.
Cardinal Gregory criticized President Donald Trump for his rhetorical use and his visits to religious sites.
He denounced President Trump’s visit to the tomb of St. John Paul II in Washington, describing it as “disconcerting and reprehensible.”
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The Pope is the only person who has not yet put on a mask
The visit came in June, a day after the president ordered the dispersal of peaceful protesters near the White House.
The archbishop said that St. John Paul II “will certainly not tolerate the use of tear gas and other means of deterrence to silence, disperse or intimidate (protesters) to capture a photo opportunity in front of a place of worship and peace.”
Some conservative Catholics criticized him for his comments.
moreYThey were named by Pope Francis
Among the 13 are 84-year-old Italian priest Raniero Cantalamisa, who served as a preacher to three papal families.
Another Italian name, Marcello Cimmarro, is a 72-year-old bishop who oversees the canonization of church saints.
A key position will also be awarded to Maltese Mario Gresh, president of the Synod of Bishops, an influential advisory body to the Pope.
Among others, Antoine Campanda, Archbishop of Kigali in Rwanda; José Fuerte Advincula, Archbishop of Capiz of the Philippines; Celestino Aaus Bracco, Archbishop of Santiago, Chile.
