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Comprehensive Immigration Reform To Be A Major Topic At National Migration Conference
WASHINGTON— Comprehensive immigration reform will be a major topic at the 2008 National Migration Conference, "Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice," to be held July 28-31 at the Hilton Washington Hotel.
"The issue of immigration is one of the most controversial domestic concerns facing our country," said Kevin Appleby, director of Migration and Refugee Policy at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The Holy Father spoke about the human side of the issue several times during his April visit. The conference will examine the issue in-depth and hopefully provide conference participants more insight into it and how the Church can make a positive contribution to the national debate."
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Pope Names Minnesota Pastor
Bishop Of New Ulm, Minnesota
Father John M. LeVoir,
named bishop of New Ulm, MN.
WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI named Father John M. LeVoir, 62, pastor of St. Michael Church, Stillwater, Minnesota, in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as bishop of New Ulm, Minnesota.
The appointment was announced in Washington, July 14, by Msgr. Martin Krebs, Charge d/Affaires at the apostolic nunciature of the United States.
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Teens To Provide
World Youth Day Web Coverage From Sydney
WASHINGTON – Twenty-two “youth reporters” have been trained in Washington and Los Angeles to report on events at the tenth international World Youth Day, set for July 15-20 in Sydney, Australia. Training was sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in cooperation with MyCatholicVoice and the Embassy of Australia, as a way to provide Catholics around the world with real-time coverage of the event, in addition to coverage provided by traditional media. Training occurred during June at the Australian Embassy in Washington and the Australian Consulate in Los Angeles. Those unable to attend in person received training by attending “virtually” over the internet.
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U.S. To Send Largest International
Pilgrim Group To World Youth Day In Sydney
WASHINGTON---The United States will send 15,000 young people to World Youth Day, the international event convened by Pope Benedict XVI, scheduled to take place in Sydney, Australia, from July 15 through 20. According to U.S. organizers, this will be the largest delegation representing any country outside of Australia. The young pilgrims will be joined by 50 U.S. bishops, including Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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Pope Names Bishop Ricken Of Cheyenne To Diocese Of Green Bay
WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI named Bishop David Ricken of Cheyenne, Wyoming, as Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin. He succeeds Bishop David Zubik, who was named Bishop of Pittsburgh last year.
The announcement was made in Washington, July 9, by Msgr. Martin Krebs, Charge d’Affaires at the apostolic nunciature in the United States.
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Pope Names Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop Malooly To Succeed Wilmington Bishop Saltarelli, Names Philadelphia Priest Bishop Of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
WASHINGTON—Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael A. Saltarelli, 75, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, and named Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop W. Francis Malooly, 64, to succeed him. The pope also named Msgr. Herbert A. Bevard, 62, a Philadelphia pastor, as Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Bishop-elect Bevard succeeds Bishop George Murry, who was transferred from St. Thomas to the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, in January 2007.
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Bishops Praise Archbishop Burke’s Appointment To Church’s Highest Court
WASHINGTON---Cardinal Francis George, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), praised the recent appointment of Archbishop Raymond L. Burke by Pope Benedict XVI as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, a court that serves as the highest tribunal of appeal of the Catholic Church. Cardinal George assured Archbishop Burke of the prayers and best wishes of his brother bishops.
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U.S. Bishops Agree With Pew Study Finding That Faith Is Important To Americans, Stress Importance Of Ongoing Religious Education
WASHINGTON— The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reacted to the findings of a report on religious beliefs and practices by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life made public today.
The study, which is based on a survey of more than 35,000 American adults, estimates that nearly 92 percent of American adults say they believe in God or a universal spirit. The findings also point to the fact that Americans take religion seriously, that faith is a very important part of their lives and that many of them attend religious services regularly and pray daily.
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Bishops Of G8 Nations Urge Their Leaders To Address Global Poverty And Climate Change At July G8 Summit
WASHINGTON – In a letter to leaders participating in the G8 Summit in Japan on July 7-9, the presidents of all the Catholic bishops’ conferences of the G8 nations urged Summit leaders to “deepen your commitments and actions to reduce global poverty and address global climate change.” The bishops wrote: “Our religious and moral commitment to protect human life and promote human dignity moves us to be particularly concerned for the poorest and most vulnerable members of the human family, especially those in developing countries.” The G8 leaders include President Bush and the heads of state of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. Cardinal Francis George, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, signed the letter.
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— U.S. Bishops' Statement "On Embryonic Stem Cell Research"
— more at the spring meeting
Roundup: Bishops' Spring Meeting
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., displays a DVD on stem-cell research during the U.S. bishops' spring meeting in Orlando, Fla.
(CNS photo/Andrew Sullivan)
ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) -- A lively and intense debate over a 700-page translation of part of the Roman Missal dominated the public sessions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' spring general assembly in Orlando June 12-14, but the bishops failed to come to a conclusion about the fate of the liturgical text.
With much less discussion, they approved a 2,000-word policy statement calling embryonic stem-cell research "gravely immoral"; directed their Committee on Doctrine to begin revising guidelines for Catholic health care institutions on medically assisted nutrition and hydration; designated Sept. 26, 2010, as National Catholic Charities Sunday; and voted to replace the more formal "vosotros" with the more familiar "ustedes" in Spanish-language Masses in the U.S.
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USCCB Mission Statement
The mission of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is to support the ministry of bishops with an emphasis on evangelization, by which the bishops exercise in a communal and collegial manner certain pastoral functions entrusted to them by the Lord Jesus of sanctifying, teaching, and governing.
This mission calls the Conference to
- Act collaboratively and consistently on vital issues confronting the Church and society
- Foster communion with the Church in other nations, within the Church universal, under the leadership of its supreme pastor, the Roman Pontiff
- Offer appropriate assistance to each bishop in fulfilling his particular ministry in the local Church
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