Highlights from the November meeting of the U.S. Catholic Bishops

Baltimore, MD - The annual fall meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was held November 13-16, 2006 in Baltimore, MD.

During the course of the 4-day meeting, Bishop William S. Skylstad, President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement calling for a more substantive, civil and non-partisan discussion about a responsible transition in Iraq. "The Administration and the new Congress need to engage in a collaborative dialogue that honestly assesses the situation in Iraq, acknowledges past difficulties and miscalculations, recognizes and builds on positive advances, and reaches agreement on concrete steps to address the serious challenges that lie ahead," Bishop Skylstad said.

While not addressing a specific timeline for withdrawal of troops, Bishop Skylstad stated that the military should remain in Iraq "only as long as their presence contributes to a responsible transition. Our nation should look for effective ways to end their deployment at the earliest opportunity consistent with this goal."

The body of bishops issued three statements: "Married Love and the Gift of Life" that encourges married couples who use artificial contraception to return to church teaching and learn how natural family planning can benefit the marital relationship; "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care," a 26-page statement on the pastoral care of homosexually inclined persons that reiterates church teaching that all homosexual acts are morally wrong, but affirms the dignity of those with homosexual inclinations and says that having such an inclination is not in itself sinful; and "Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist," which calls on those in a state of serious sin to refrain from receiving Communion. The complete texts of these statements are available at www.usccb.org/bishops/index.shtml.

The bishops also unanimously voted to release $335,000 of the one million dollars they earmarked last year for research on the causes and context of sexual abuse by clergy. The money will underwrite the first three segments of the research, which is being undertaken by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. The first component of the study will look at the historical context and influences on the problem.

The second component, Institutional Response by Church Leadership, will focus on gaining understanding of the temporal, structural, and leadership factors within the Catholic Church that framed the response of individual dioceses to the crisis. It will focus on diocesan responses after 1985, when many people became aware of the problem because of the notorious case of Louisiana priest Father Gilbert Gauthe. The actions of three dioceses with optimal response to reports of sexual abuse made after 1985 and three dioceses with notably (via public record) unsuccessful response will be studied.

The third segment, the Clinical/ Psychological Component, aims to understand on an individual level, how priests with allegations of sexual abuse differ from other priests (those with and without other problems) as well as sex offenders who are not priests.

In another action, the bishops voted to restructure their national operations and to cut diocesan assessments to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops by 16 percent, eliminating more than 60 jobs at USCCB headquarters in Washington and satellite offices, and reducing the number of USCCB committees.

More detailed information about the annual meeting can be found on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Web site. Visit www.usccb.org