Bishop Wuerl to replace Cardinal McCarrick in Washington DC?

Rocco reports on the rumors:

"Speculation indicating that Bishop Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh will succeed Cardinal Theodore McCarrick as archbishop of Washington has increased markedly in recent days. Earlier today, it was even buzzed that the appointment could come as soon as tomorrow morning; that theory was discounted on further review."

"Whatever the case, the timetable for the Washington transition has been noticeably expedited." [More]

Only two mainstream sources are speculating about this possibility right now. KDKA Pittsburg, for one, and then a much longer story from the Pittsburgh Tribune Review:

"I would think that he would be considered. Given his position in the American church, the familiarity that Rome has with him and the time he spent in Rome, I would not be surprised if he was named the archbishop of Washington," Francesco Cesareo, dean of the McAnulty College of Liberal Arts at Duquesne University, said Sunday.

"The only person who knows is Benedict. A lot of speculation can happen. Until he makes a decision and he makes an announcement, all it is is speculation," Cesareo said.

...

The Rev. Ronald P. Lengwin, spokesman for the Pittsburgh Diocese, said neither he nor Wuerl has any information that Wuerl is a candidate for the Washington post. Lengwin said Wuerl would have no comment.

Lengwin said it's no surprise that Wuerl's name surfaces when there is talk of naming cardinals because of Wuerl's reputation in the church.

"The confidence in him leads to it -- from all his positions he enjoys in the church," Lengwin said.

Wuerl worked with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI a little more than a year ago, on a number of projects, including the development of the new Catholic catechism in the late 1980s. [More]

I don't know much about Wuerl. I have heard that his Catechism for Adults is very decent (and popular - it's also available in a Q&A format), as is his companion book to the CCC, "The Catholic Way." Beliefnet commends him for his handling of the sex-abuse scandal (or really, lack of one) within his diocese ... that's a good sign normally.