The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will elect their next president and vice-president at the upcoming Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, Nov. 14-16. The elections are due to take place during the general assembly. Each office is elected from a slate of 10 candidates who have been nominated by their fellow bishops.
The slate of candidates for President and Vice President are as follows:
- Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans
- Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., of Philadelphia
- Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City
- Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston
- Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville
- Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles
- Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore
- Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron of Detroit
- Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami
- Archbishop John C. Wester of Santa Fe
The president and vice president are elected to three-year terms, which begin at the conclusion of the meeting. At that time, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, will complete their terms as president and vice president, respectively.
USCCB by-laws provide that the first election is that of the president by simple majority vote of members present and voting. Following the election of the president, the vice-president is elected from the remaining nine candidates. In either election, if a candidate does not receive more than half of the votes cast on the first ballot, a second vote is taken. If a third round of voting is necessary, that ballot is a run-off between the two bishops who received the most votes on the second ballot.
During the meeting, the bishops will also vote for new chairmen of the following five USCCB committees: Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, Committee on International Justice and Peace, and the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.
