U.S. bishops gather in Washington for annual meeting

new general secretary elected; new statement on death penalty unanimously approved

Washington, DC - Bishops of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) met November 14-17 in Washington, D.C., for their annual fall general assembly. Their agenda included the election of a new USCCB General Secretary for the next five years, as well as topics such as the death penalty, lay ecclesial ministry, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the priesthood.

The meeting opened with an address by Bishop William S. Skylstad, president of the conference. Considering his reflections on the recent 11th Ordinary Synod on "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church" which he attended in Rome, the subject of the Eucharist led him to speak about the link between the Eucharist and the priesthood, the role of the priest at the Eucharist, the shortage of priests in many places in the world, the need for a more equitable distribution of priests, the development of stronger vocation programs and the suffering that has taken place in the priesthood over the last four years in the United States.

He reiterated that it is unfortunate that a handful of priests have caused the priesthood to “endure an avalanche of negative public attention.” “It has been a personally painful time for the vast majority of priests who did nothing to deserve that pain.” He said that despite the scandals that have taken place a statistic states that more than 9 in 10 Catholics agree that parish priests do a good job and parishioners do appreciate their priest, and more than 90% of our priests report satisfaction with their lives as priests. He further stressed the importance of the relationship between bishops and their priests, that they share in the same mission and are united sacramentally in one priesthood.

New General Secretary

Msgr. David J. Malloy, USCCB associate general secretary since 2001, was elected to succeed Msgr. William Fay as general secretary in February. A 49-year-old priest of the Milwaukee archdiocese, Msgr. Malloy has served in the Vatican diplomatic corps and in the Prefecture of the Papal Household, which organizes public and private papal audiences and ceremonies.

Lay Ecclesial Ministry Guidelines

An 82-page document called Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord, containing the guidelines on lay ecclesial ministry was approved by a vote of 190-49. This statement is a response to one of the most significant phenomena to emerge in the Church since the Second Vatican Council - the rapid growth of lay ministerial leaders collaborating with the priests and deacons as an integral part of parish and diocesan life. The document is the result of several regional and national consultations and has gone through seven drafts over the past year and a half.

Lectionary for Children

The Lectionary for Children was also approved. Its intended use is meant for congregations where the majority present are under ten years of age. It is not allowed on Sundays or Holy Days, including Christmas. At those liturgies, the children join their family in the adult prayer of the Church.

English translation of the Roman Missal

In the next two or three years, the bishops also will be facing a new English translation of the Roman Missal for use in the U.S. The Vatican recently rewrote new liturgical translation rules and now requires that translations adhere more to the original Latin.

Evidently, a tension exists between two forms: one is called "formal equivalence", which favor "fidelity to the original" text, while the other is called “dynamic equivalence” and favors "accommodation to the receiver’s language". This indicates very different attitudes about the style of the liturgical language, which although it may reflect biblical passages, Catholics have been praying other versions for over 35 years and may find the new translation very unsettling. A survey was taken regarding three issues dealing with the people’s prayers or responses during Mass and on these three accounts a majority of bishops preferred the current translation to the newly proposed one. There are further conflicts yet to be resolved.

Death penalty

A new statement calling for an end to the use of the death penalty in the U.S. was almost unanimously approved. The bishops have opposed the death penalty for 25 years, but the new statement, A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death, says the bishops seek “to seize a new moment and new momentum” in their campaign against capital punishment. “It is time for our nation to abandon the illusion that we can protect life by taking life" and "Ending the use of the death penalty would be one important step away from a culture of death toward building a culture of life."

FEMA

The bishops discussed the "run around" received from the Federal

Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) when they inquired about the federal plans for helping the regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina and Rita. The bishops have a special interest in the rebuilding of New Orleans as this involves the reconstruction of the New Orleans Archdiocese. The bishops’ Committee on Home Missions has made $3 million from its own reserves available to the dioceses in the disaster zones.

The bishops also agreed to designate May 22 each year as a Day of Remembrance and Prayer for Mariners and People of the Sea; unanimously accepted revised guidelines for retired bishops; and approved a budget of $131.2 million for 2006 that could result in up to $1.8 million in deficit spending.