US Bishops meet for Fall General Assembly

By Vatican News/USCCB

The Bishops of the United States are set to elect a new President and Vice-President of the episcopal conference, during the Fall General Assembly, which opened on Monday in Baltimore.

In addition, the Bishops are expected to vote for the chairman of the Committee for Religious Liberty, and for Chairman-elect of five standing committees: on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance; Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Evangelization and Catechesis; International Justice and Peace; and Protection of Children and Young People.

On the Agenda

The agenda for the Fall Meeting will also feature votes on the Program for Priestly Formation, for use in the United States; and supplements to the document “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”, addressed to all the faithful, concerning the political responsibility of Catholics.

Bishops of the Latin-Rite will also be asked to vote on translations of two documents: the “Order of Christian Initiation of Adults as the base text for a future edition of this rite for use in the United States; and a translation of the “Hymns of the Liturgy of the Hours”.

In addition, the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs will request authorization of the full body of Bishops to lead the process of developing a new formal statement and comprehensive vision for Hispanic/Latino ministry in response to the V Encuentro process, a process of ecclesial reflection meant to discern the way in which Latino Catholics respond as Church.

The Bishops will also vote on the Revised Strategic Priorities for the 2021-2024 Strategic Plan for the USCCB, as well as the proposed budgets for 2020. They will elect the new Board of Directors for Catholic Relief Services, which carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.

Finally, the Bishops are also expected to hear an update on progress toward establishing a nationwide, third-party reporting system for abuse or misconduct by Bishops.