Here are 10 things to expect from this week’s gathering.
By Zelda Caldwell, CNA,
BALTIMORE, Md. — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will hold its annual fall meeting in Baltimore this week.
Here are 10 things to expect from this week’s gathering:
1. Farewell Speech from Outgoing President Archbishop José Gomez
The meeting will mark the end of Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles’ three-year term as president of the USCCB.
Archbishop Gomez successfully navigated a way out of the controversy (and division among the bishops) over whether Catholic politicians who support abortion should be denied Communion. In deciding to hold a three-year Eucharistic Revival to promote a renewed understanding of a key tenet of the Catholic faith, that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, Archbishop Gomez and the bishops took the issue out of the political realm for the time being. The initiative represents a recognition that pro-abortion Catholic politicians are only a symptom of a larger problem: the tepid and ill-formed faith of many American Catholics. …ng, will be taking on the high-profile job of quarterbacking the Eucharistic Revival initiative.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Vatican’s current doctrinal chief and principal drafter of ‘Fiducia Supplicans,’ is shown during the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, Oct. 9, 2023. (photo: Edward Pentin / National Catholic Register)