(RNS) The Illinois bishop who guided the U.S. Catholic Church through a bruising clergy sexual abuse scandal received a major promotion from Pope John Paul II on Dec. 9 when he was named the archbishop of Atlanta.

Bishop Wilton Gregory of Belleville, Ill., was tapped to lead the Archdiocese of Atlanta, succeeding Archbishop John Donoghue, 76, who was required to submit his resignation last year when he turned 75.

Gregory, 57, was the first African-American to hold the presidency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He ended his three-year term in November, just days before he was notified of his transfer to Atlanta. Many church observers say Gregory could one day become the first black American cardinal.

Gregory's new post will put him in the former home of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The sprawling archdiocese, which covers 69 North Georgia counties, has nearly doubled in size in the last decade. Gregory will be formally installed as archbishop Jan. 17.