The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) chose a new secretary-elect of the Conference and the chairmen-elect of five committees, and new members of the board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), during the bishops’ annual fall General Assembly, November 11-14, in Baltimore.
The bishops elected:
• Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans USCCB secretary-elect in a 100-94 vote over Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for Military Services
• Bishop Christopher Coyne, auxiliary bishop of Indianapolis, chairman-elect of the Committee on Communications in a 114-102 vote over Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas
• Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, M.Sp.S. of San Antonio chairman-elect of the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church in a 160-60 vote over Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington
• Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit, chairman-elect of the Committee on Doctrine in a 149-66 vote over Bishop Robert J. McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts
• Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Alabama, chairman-elect of the Committee on National Collections in a 134-71 vote over Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento, California
• Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, chairman-elect of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities in a 127-102 vote over Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles
Each bishop elected will serve for one year as secretary-elect or chairman-elect before beginning a three-year term.
Bishops elected to the CRS board were Bishop Edward J. Burns of Juneau, Alaska; Bishop Felipe Estévez, of St. Augustine; Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, Nebraska; Bishop Kevin Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend; and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
Bishops elected to the CLINIC board were Bishop Martin Holley, auxiliary bishop of Washington, and Bishop Edgar da Cunha, SDV, of Fall River, Massachusetts.
The bishops approved their 2015 budget in a 192-9-7 vote. They also voted on a three percent increase in the diocesan assessment for 2016. The USCCB by-laws require a two-thirds majority of all 197 eligible members to approve a three percent increase in the assessment. In the initial vote, 128 eligible bishops approved the assessment. The absent eligible members will be canvassed to determine the final vote.
