Pope Francis on Sunday announced a slate of 21 new cardinals, including progressive Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, who has warned often of the dangers of global warming as a cause of death while downplaying the dangers of abortion.

McElroy is the only new cardinal named from the United States, according to a release from the Vatican, with the pope bypassing several other key figures from the country for the key role, including Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, who in May barred House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., from receiving Holy Communion over her stance supporting abortion.

A meeting will be held on Aug. 29-30 of all the cardinals to vote on the new Apostolic Constitution, and on Aug. 27, the pope will formally hold a service for the creation of the new cardinals.

McElroy, 68, plans to remain in San Diego as its first cardinal and said in a statement that he was "stunned and deeply surprised by the news," which came in a phone call at 3 a.m. in San Diego time, reports The Times of San Diego. ​​

"My prayer is that in this ministry I might be of additional service to the God who has graced me on so many levels in my life," he said in the statement, "and I pray also that I can assist the Holy Father in his pastoral renewal of the Church."

The National Catholic Register, in reporting on McElroy, said he "has been among the most vocal champions of Pope Francis' pastoral agenda among the U.S. hierarchy, frequently echoing the pope's prioritization of environmental concerns, migration, and a more welcoming approach to LGBTQ persons."

However, McElroy has come under fire for his stance on allowing communion for Catholic politicians who are pro-abortion, and insisted that President Joe Biden should be permitted to receive the sacrament, reports Breitbart.

McElroy also has been a vocal opponent of former President Donald Trump, including before his 2017 inauguration, when he called on people to "become disrupters" against the incoming president, referring to him as the "candidate of disruption" over immigration, healthcare, and more.

In November 2019, McElroy pushed back against efforts from other U.S. bishops to name abortion as Catholic voters' "preeminent" moral issue, calling the proposed text "discordant" with the teachings of Pope Francis, even though the pope has often condemned abortion.

However, Archbishop of Philadelphia Charles Chaput retorted that it was necessary to call abortion the "preeminent priority" and that the position was no breach of the views held by the pope.

"I am against anyone saying that our stating that [abortion] is preeminent is contrary to the teaching of the Pope because that isn't true," Chaput said at the time. "It sets up an artificial battle between the bishops' conference of the United States and the Holy Father, which isn't true."

The bishops noted in their document on faithful citizenship that abortion means the "ongoing destruction of over one million innocent human lives each year."

Pope Francis has created 101 cardinals since his election in 2017, with the last consistory to create new cardinals held on Nov. 28, 2020. At that time, the list included Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington.

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