Who’s the Front-Runner to Lead at the USCCB?

The U.S. bishops will elect a new president next month. Who's the front-runner?​

When the U.S. bishops meet for their plenary assembly in Baltimore next month, they’ll discuss the prospect of the 2029 National Eucharistic Congress, a new text of ethical directives for Catholic hospitals, and spend a great deal of time talking about the situation of immigrants to the United States.

The bishops will no doubt approve a message to send to Pope Leo — their American brother — and receive a message in response, through apostolic nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

There are some pending USCCB issues not yet on the bishops’ public agenda — including a proposal to substantially revise the CCHDcommunity organizing program, the prospect of revising substantially the Dallas Charter, and a rewrite of the bishops’ pastoral statement on ministry to people with disabilities, which has been in the works for several years, but not yet at point of circulating a draft.

Other issues will likely be discussed behind closed doors during the bishops’ executive session — including the prospect of revising the USCCB’s “Faithful Citizenship” document, which has been due for discussion among the bishops for the past few years.

While USCCB meetings were once almost entirely public affairs, the bishops in recent years have called most of the meeting into executive session, with the public sessions restricted mostly to presentations and updates from conference committees and outside groups.

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