Cardinal McElroy highlights Christian hope and compassion in his first homily, stressing care for the most vulnerable and unity in a fractured society.

Cardinal Robert McElroy, the former bishop of San Diego, was installed as the new archbishop of Washington Tuesday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Thousands of people — including local and federal officials,

In his installation Mass, McElroy addressed some of the nation's current tensions but also emphasized the need for hope and dignity.

Mercy and compassion must be our first impulse when confronted with sin and human failure,' said the cardinal, who will fill the seat vacated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who retired at the beginning of this year.

Thousands gathered at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Northeast, D.C. Tuesday to watch the installation of the new archbishop.