CV NEWS FEED // The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops concluded its annual Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore yesterday after two full days of meetings.
On Wednesday, the bishops passed an amendment to say that abortion is “the preeminent priority” ahead of 2024 in the introductory note of their political guidance document, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”
The bishops also voted in support of the bishops’ conference of England and Wales asking the Holy Father to name Saint John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church.
The conference began on Monday November 13 with a Mass for Peace at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The bishops attended the first of two public sessions on November 14, where they sent prayers and a message to Pope Francis.
“During the plenary, the bishops received updates on the following items: the 2021-2024 Synod of Bishops, the U.S. bishops’ Eucharistic revival initiative and national congress, the Institute on the Catechism, and the recently-launched mental health campaign,” according to a USCCB press release.
The bishops voted on new chairman-elects for various USCCB Committees, as well as a Conference Secretary. The bishops reelected Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City as Conference Secretary.
The bishops also voted on Tuesday affirming their support for the cause of beatification and canonization of Servant of God Isaac Thomas Hecker, who founded the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle.
Papal Nuncio to the United States Cardinal Christophe Pierre gave an address to the bishops at the Tuesday public session, which focused on “the close relationship between the Eucharist and synodality:
I am convinced that we need to have an eye opening experience of the Eucharist. We need this, even as bishops, leaders in the Church. We need our perception of the Eucharist to be re-awakened to its incarnational dynamism… I believe that we will have true Eucharistic revival when we experience the Eucharist as the sacrament of Christ’s incarnation: as the Lord walking with us together on the way.
USCCB President Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services also gave an address on Tuesday. Recalling the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, Broglio said all the bishops certainly
pray that the Prince of Peace might enlighten those who determine the fate of the nations. We look out on our world and see so much armed conflict. We prayed for peace yesterday morning at our opening Mass and I know that we are ready to advocate for a lasting peace.
The USCCB press release also reported the full list of every action item that the bishops voted on:
- 200 in favor, 21 against, and 17 abstentions to approve the reassignment of the Archdiocese of Las Vegas and the Diocese of Reno from Region XI to Region XIII, prompted by the creation of a new ecclesiastical province by the Holy Father this past May;
- 225 in favor, 11 against, and 7 abstentions to approve a new introductory note and materials (bulletin inserts and a template video script) supporting the bishops’ teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship;
- 228 in favor, 7 against, and 5 abstentions to replace the current USCCB Strategic Plan cycle with a newly-proposed Mission Planning Process;
- 230 in favor, 11 against, and 1 abstention to affirm the reauthorization of the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism;
- 231 in favor, 2 against, and 5 abstentions to approve the USCCB’s 2024 proposed budget, presented by the Committee on Budget and Finance.
There were six action items pertaining to liturgical texts from the Committee on Divine Worship, and the Latin Church members of the USCCB voted on the following:
- The U.S. adaptations for the Liturgy of the Hours passed with 214 votes in favor, 3 votes against, and 2 abstentions. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church bishops, with subsequent confirmatio and recognitio from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
- The bishops voted 222 votes in favor, 4 votes against, and 3 abstentions to authorize an amended process for the approval of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) Gray Book of Supplementary Texts for the Liturgy of the Hours.
- The bishops voted 225 votes in favor, 2 votes against, and 0 abstentions to approve the ICEL Gray Book of The Order of Blessing of an Abbot or Abbess. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church bishops, with subsequent confirmatio and recognitio from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
- The bishops voted 224 votes in favor, 2 votes against, and 2 abstentions to approve the ICEL Gray Book of The Order of Consecration of Virgins. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church bishops, with subsequent confirmatio and recognitio from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
- The bishops voted 221 votes in favor, 3 votes against, and 2 abstentions to approve the ICEL Gray Book of The Order of Religious Profession. The approval of this requires a two-thirds vote of the Latin Church bishops, with subsequent confirmatio from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
- The bishops also voted 227 votes in favor, 3 votes against, and 0 abstentions to approve the request to inscribe Saint Teresa of Calcutta on the General Roman Calendar as an Optional Memorial on September 5.