My summary of the June meeting of U.S. bishops

 

I offer below my summary of the June meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which was conducted via Zoom. This is not an official summary but my reflections during the meeting.

1. The bishops sent a message of greeting to Pope Francis and assured him of our prayers. We thanked him for his leadership during the pandemic.

2. Archbishop Pierre, apostolic nuncio, addressed the bishops. He began by assuring us of the closeness of Pope Francis. He reminded us of the challenges of the pandemic and, now, hope as restrictions are lifted. He asked, what kind of church are we to be? A good Samaritan church of compassion and mercy? Do we respond to the needs of the suffering, the hungry and those who need mercy, and do we care for the poor? We need to learn from Jesus – both in content and in practice. We speak specifically of charity, justice and mercy: We must live charity, justice and mercy. We must see beyond ourselves to the needs of the whole society. A personal encounter with God is essential. “Evangelists” are who we are and what we are called to do. Our encounter with Christ leads to genuine evangelization. Jesus transforms us and transforms history. With Christ we can show forth the newness of Christian life. We do not shame the weak but turn to the one who is our strength. Communion calls us to encounter the living Christ. Jesus’ method is one of dialogue and encounter. We are not a church of the perfect but a pilgrim church on the road to the merciful Christ. We must engage in respectful dialogue and prayerful discernment, leading to unity. He reminded bishops we are called to foster reconciliation and unity. Speaking the truth in love is our vocation. Unity … Encounter … Dialogue. Throughout his presentation, he referred to Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti” (“All Brothers”).

3. Archbishop Gomez gave the presidential address. He reminded us of the present challenges from the pandemic, social unrest, protests, distrust for institutions and political tensions. Our future will be shaped by how we address these issues. We must lead to mercy and unity. Division is not what God wants of us. Politics is becoming “religion” for some people. This is not the spirit of unity. We are to be one as Jesus and his Father are one. What can we do individually to strengthen the body of Christ? He encouraged bishops to be united in the Gospel message.

4. The National Advisory Council gave a report. The council is composed of 43 people, including clergy, religious and laity, who review our agenda and give suggestions for our consideration and vote. Mr. Scott Voynick chairs the Council.

5. The bishops approved the proposed drafts: “Pastoral Framework for Marriage and Family Life, Ministry in the United States: Call to the Joy of Love.” It includes four pillars: prayer, formation, accompaniment and advocacy. It provides guidelines for pastoral care.

6. Regarding Liturgical documents, the bishops approved the translation of the following:

a. A Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

b. Liturgy of the Hours: Additional intercessions and psalter concluding prayers

c. The “Order of Penance” (Confession)

These must be approved by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

7. The Chair of the National Review Board, Mrs. Suzanne Healy, gave a report to the bishops regarding the work of the committee in overseeing Safe Environment and remaining faithful to the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” We have been implementing the Charter for 20 years. The requirements of the Charter are helping to change the culture. We must continue to reach out to offer healing to the victim/survivor. Accountability and transparency must continue. Our need to heal and gain trust is lifelong as we demand safe environments in all Catholic programs. We are grateful to the National Review Board for their guidance. Diocesan audits must continue for the healthy accountability of each diocese. The publication of the names of those accused is important after appropriate investigation. The chair of the committee also acknowledged key learnings were gained from the McCarrick report. We are grateful for the good work and expertise of lay Catholics.

8. Bishop Deshotel of Lafayette, Louisiana, recommended the advancement on the local level of the Cause of Canonization of the Servant of God, Joseph V. Lafleur, a diocesan priest.

Bishop Kevin Sweeney of Paterson, New Jersey, did the same for Servant of God Marinus (Leonard) La Rue, a professed Brother of the Order of St. Benedict.

The bishops voted in favor of both proposals.

9. The bishops authorized the development of a new formal statement and comprehensive vision for Native American/Alaska Native Ministry.

10. The bishops supported the drafting of a National Pastoral framework on Youth and Young Adults. The audience will be leadership within the church, providing guidance to their ministry to Youth and Young Adults. The drafting and consultation will take about 18 months.

11. The body of bishops approved the proposal of the Committee on Doctrine to proceed with the drafting of a formal statement on the meaning of Eucharist in the life of the Church.

Part I will include:

• The meaning of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
• Understanding the Eucharist as sacrifice
• Healing – the Divine Physician and the gift of healing from sin

Part II will include:

• The Eucharist as a sign of unity
• The need for beautiful and dignified liturgies with meaningful homilies
• Identity – we are called to be a eucharistic people and live our faith in daily life

Part III will include:

• The Eucharist calls us to constant conversion
• Eucharistic consistency – people should examine themselves so as to receive Christ in the Eucharist more worthily. It would deal with the nature of Eucharistic Communion and the problem of serious sin.

This issue has been widely debated. Let us enter into prayer for wisdom, asking God to help us to know how to approach Eucharistic Consistency as good teachers in a charitable tone.

• Missionary discipleship – we depart from the Eucharist as disciples to live out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and foster the growth of the Church in our world.

12. The Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis reported on a three-year project on “Eucharistic Revival” in the United States to give a better understanding of Eucharist and to plan a National Eucharistic Congress for 2024. This proposal has been met with great enthusiasm and plans are underway. More information will be available in November 2021.

13. The subcommittee on Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers discussed a report from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). The study highlights that we need to be more aware of these communities and enable opportunities for migrants, refugees and travelers to worship.

14. The Subcommittee on the Catechism gave a presentation on the challenges experienced in their work. They are proposing an institute to address some of the current issues. The institute would take a broader approach to catechesis that would implement the Directory for Catechesis.

Thanks to all who offered prayers for us during the meeting.

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected]