U.S. bishops nominate candidates for conference president and vice president
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 4, 2022 / 11:41 am
The U.S. bishops released on Tuesday the names of the 10 candidates nominated to be the next president and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
An election will be held during the bishops’ Fall General Assembly in Baltimore Nov. 14–17 to replace the outgoing president, Archbishop Jose H.Gomez of Los Angeles, and vice president, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, whose three-year terms end at the conclusion of the meeting.
The nominees, chosen by their fellow bishops, are as follows:
- Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, Archdiocese for the Military Services
- Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Diocese of Arlington, Virginia
- Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut
- Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
- Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archdiocese of San Francisco
- Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, Archdiocese of Seattle
- Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Diocese of Brownsville, Texas
- Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller, Archdiocese of San Antonio
- Archbishop William E. Lori, Archdiocese of Baltimore
- Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana
According to the bylaws of the USCCB, the president will first be elected by a simple majority vote of those present and voting. Then an election will be held for the position of vice president, with the remaining nominees making up the slate for that office. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, a second vote would be taken. If no candidate emerges with a majority a runoff would take place between the two top vote-getters.
The bishops will also vote for new chairmen of six USCCB standing committees. The nominees are as follows:
Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance
Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, Diocese of Springfield, Illinois
Bishop Alfred A. Schlert, Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania
Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania
Bishop Peter L. Smith, auxiliary bishop, Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon
Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Bishop William D. Byrne, Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts
Committee on International Justice and Peace
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, MLM, Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon
Committee on Protection of Children and Young People
Bishop Barry C. Knestout, Diocese of Richmond, Virginia
Bishop Elias R. Lorenzo, OSB, auxiliary bishop, Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey
Committee for Religious Liberty
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archdiocese of San Francisco
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana