Disclaimer: You will have no role in electing the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. You will make a new friend today, and will receive unexpected advice from an old one. You forgot to call your mom. Your keys are under the couch.
The next President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will be elected during the bishops’ annual General Assembly, which takes place November 11-14 in Baltimore.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York and the current President of the Conference, will be stepping down from the top spot after an eventful three-year term.
This is not to say that Cardinal Dolan will in any sense fade from the scene of American religious and political life. For one thing, the Archbishop of New York always carries a certain preeminence just by virtue of his role as the leader of the Catholic Church in America’s largest city.
For another thing, Timothy Dolan could be an auxiliary bishop in Nome, Alaska and he would still be a force to be reckoned with. He’s just that powerful a presence.
So perhaps the answer to the title of this post is “nobody,” since Cardinal Dolan will most assuredly continue in his role as a leader of the Church in America, even after he has vacated the presidency of the USCCB.
In any event, the bishops will be electing a new president, and will be doing so from the following slate of candidates:
• Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans
• Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., of Philadelphia
• Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Washington
• Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston
• Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles
• Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky
• Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore
• Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati
• Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit
• Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami
Lots of good names on that list. As I recall, you can watch the election proceedings live, and I believe Rocco Palmo carried the live feed during the last election.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide the bishops during their meeting.