Recap of the U.S. bishops’ June meeting

Outlined below is a summary of the meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) from June 14-16, 2023. This is my summary, not an official document from the USCCB.

1. The USCCB Conference began with a morning of prayer, Mass and fraternal dialogue.

2. We sent a message to Pope Francis assuring him of our prayers as he recovers from surgery. We also pledged our gratitude for his dedicated ministry and great love for Christ as he leads us.

3. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, addressed the bishops. He greeted us in the name of Pope Francis. He reminded us to make our evangelization more effective and to pray for the Synod. We must listen to one another, be led by the Holy Spirit. “Where are we? Where are we going?” are important spiritual questions. We as bishops are united with our Holy Father to be prophetic voices. The Synod is about the way we are church, people of God and faithful to the truth of the Gospel. We must be committed to eucharistic revival as we strive to be the Body of Christ. We must bring Christ to where he is not known and loved. We should be committed to uniting the Church and to avoid polarization – this is the way of Christ. He cited many examples of synodality that now exist in the United States.

4. Archbishop Broglio, president of the USCCB, spoke to the bishops. He reminded us that we must be “slaves to the truth” as bishops. He reminded us to bring Christ to those who do not know him. In this eucharistic revival, we are called and bonded by the Eucharist. He encouraged us in our ministry to the immigrants and refugees, as we reach out to those in need of freedom and justice. He challenged us not to forget the people of Ukraine and other areas of the world where there is war and rumors of war.

5. The bishops voted in favor of beginning the process of beatification and canonization for the Shreveport martyrs.

6. The bishops received an update on the National Eucharistic Revival. The national procession will include New Orleans. More information to follow! The Archdiocese of New Orleans will participate in the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis next summer. This is the 10th National Eucharistic Congress.

7. The bishops voted on and approved the 2nd edition of the Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of Priests. This will assist dioceses in their efforts for the continuing formation of priests.

8. The body of bishops approved the National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry.

9. Several action items were approved by the bishops concerning Divine Worship. The approval of the Holy See is required.

>  Liturgical texts for St. Faustina;

>  The Ordinary and Proper text of the revised Liturgy of the Hours.

10. The body of bishops requested that the Committee on Doctrine proceed with a revision of Part III of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Health Care Services. Part III deals with the “Professional-Patient Relationship.”

11. An update on the 2023 Synod was given to the bishops.

A summary of the United States bishops’ report was sent to Rome. The working document will be published within the next week in preparation for the October 2023 Synod. Bishops are asked to study it.

12. The bishops approved the initiative of drafting a new Pastoral Statement from the U.S. bishops addressing persons with disabilities in the life of the church.

13. An update on World Youth Day 2023 was given to the bishops. Over 25,000 pilgrims from the United States will travel to Lisbon. There are over 20 young adults from the Archdiocese of New Orleans who will travel to Lisbon.

14. A report was given on the Catholic University study of Catholic priests. The study analyzes the relationship between priests and bishops in the United States. It discusses the positive relationship as well as tensions that sometimes exists. The report gives us an opportunity to thank the priests for their dedicated ministry.

Thanks to all of you who supported us in prayer during the meeting in Orlando.

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].