Alexander SampleCatholic ChurchCharles Thompsondaniel floresDavid MalloyEdward WeisenburgerFeaturedKevin RhoadesNelson PérezPaul CoakleyRichard Henning

Who are the candidates to lead the US bishops’ conference next?


(LifeSiteNews) — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released the names of 10 candidates for president and vice president to be voted on at its meeting in Baltimore next month.

Per USCCB bylaws, both officers are elected to three-year terms, which will begin at the conclusion of the Plenary Assembly from November 10-13.

The current USCCB president is Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore is vice president. A simple majority is required to elect a candidate to either position.

The following bishops are up for consideration:

  • Bishop Robert Barron, Diocese of Winona-Rochester
  • Archbishop Paul Coakley, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
  • Bishop Daniel Flores, Diocese of Brownsville
  • Archbishop Richard Henning, Archdiocese of Boston
  • Bishop David Malloy, Diocese of Rockford
  • Archbishop Nelson Pérez, Archdiocese of Philadelphia
  • Bishop Kevin Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
  • Archbishop Alexander Sample, Archdiocese of Portland
  • Archbishop Charles Thompson, Archdiocese of Indianapolis
  • Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, Archdiocese of Detroit

The USCCB’s website states that, for both the president and vice president role, “if a candidate does not receive more than half of the votes cast on the first ballot, a second vote is taken. If a third round of voting is necessary, that ballot is a run-off between the two bishops who received the most votes on the second ballot.”

Many of the candidates for the roles appear to be conservative or conservative-leaning, with the exception of Weisenburger, who recently restricted priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit from offering the Traditional Latin Mass. He also fired three well-known professors from Sacred Heart Seminary, a move that has earned him intense criticism from orthodox Catholics across the United States. A Weisenburger election would indicate the bishops are deeply supportive of the liberal direction being taken by Pope Leo XIV.

The most conservative name on the list is Archbishop Sample, who has offered the Latin Mass himself for many years. Bishop Barron, who serves on President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission, and Bishop Rhoades, who serves in an advisory role for that commission and who has routinely defended the Church’s moral teachings in the public domain, would likely be considered among the more conservative candidates as well.

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The last four presidents of the USCCB include Archbishop Timothy Broglio (2022-2025), Archbishop José Gomez (2019-2022), Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (2016-2019), and Archbishop Joseph Kurtz (2013-2016). The last four vice presidents of the USCCB include Archbishop William Lori (2022-2025), Archbishop Allen Vigneron (2019-2022), Archbishop José Gomez (2016-2019) and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (2013-2016).

The bishops will also be voting for new chairmen of the USCCB’s six standing committees. The committees and the candidates are as follows:

  • Committee for Religious Liberty (Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, and Bishop Michael Sis of San Angelo, Texas).
  • Committee on Protection of Children and Young People (Bishop John Dolan of Phoenix and Auxiliary Bishop Mark O’Connell of Boston).
  • Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs (Bishop Daniel Felton of Duluth, Minnesota, and Auxiliary Bishop Peter Smith of Portland, Oregon).
  • Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance (Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee and Bishop Edward Lohse of Kalamazoo, Michigan).
  • Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis (Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, and Bishop William Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida).
  • Committee on International Justice and Peace (Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit).

Each bishop who is elected to oversee a standing committee will serve a one-year “chairman-elect” term followed by a three-year term as chairman beginning at the 2026 Plenary Assembly.

The following are the USCCB’s “programmatic committees” that oversee more specific areas:

  • Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance
  • Committee on Catholic Education
    • Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry and Service
  • Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations
  • Committee on Communications
    • Subcommittee on the Catholic Communication Campaign
  • Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church
    • Subcommittee on African American Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Native American Affairs
    • Subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees, and Travelers
  • Committee on Divine Worship
    • Subcommittee on Divine Worship in Spanish
  • Committee on Doctrine
    • Subcommittee on the Translation of Scripture Text
      Subcommittee on Health Care Issues
  • Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
  • Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis
    • Subcommittee on the Catechism
  • Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development
    • Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development
  • Committee on International Justice and Peace
  • Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth
    • Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage
  • Committee on Migration
  • Committee on National Collections
    • Subcommittee on the Church in Central and Eastern Europe
    • Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America
    • Subcommittee on Catholic Home Missions
    • Subcommittee on the Church in Africa
  • Committee on Pro-Life Activities
  • Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People
  • Committee for Religious Liberty
  • Task Forces: Temporary
    • Task Force on the Spanish Language Bible
    • Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism


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