'A REAL HUNGER'

BALTIMORE (OSV News) -- The U.S. bishops wrapped up the second day of public sessions for their annual fall assembly in Baltimore with a focus on three major issues: migration, the dignity of the human person and care for creation in light of the church's evangelizing mission.

One of the most significant discussions Nov. 13 took place just before the bishops concluded that afternoon, as Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, encouraged his brother bishops and their priests to speak loudly and as one on the issue of migration, especially in light of the recent rhetoric from public figures.

The lay faithful have a "real hunger ... for leadership from their priests and bishops alike on this issue," Bishop Seitz said, citing recent focus groups administered by the USCCB.

"The clergy continues to have a strong moral voice to which the laity listens, and consistent and intentional teaching from church leaders can significantly impact public opinion," he said. "It is thus imperative that we bishops speak in one voice on this issue consistently and intentionally, and proceed in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters, especially given the experience of so many Catholic immigrants in generations gone by."

The bishops also heard a presentation offered by the committees on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, Pro-Life Activities and Catholic Education in relation to implementing the Vatican declaration on human dignity, "Dignitas Infinita," released in April.

Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minn., chair of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, said the committees "agreed on the need to highlight the teachings of the declaration in our respective resources" with "the goal of applying the lessons of 'Dignitas Infinita' to our American society so that the church can more effectively proclaim" that "the person created in the image of God is a being at once corporeal and spiritual and is fulfilled in its vocation to divine beatitude in Jesus Christ."

The bishops also discussed caring for creation ahead of the 10th anniversary of the release of "Laudato Si'," Pope Francis' encyclical on integral ecology. Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak, chair of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, suggested in his presentation that the encyclical could be "integrated into our core mission of evangelization."

The archbishop, who heads the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, said that returning to the practice of abstaining from eating meat on Fridays "would be good for the soul and for the planet," and he added that the practice of fasting "could be an opportunity for synodal engagement," through "exploring ancient practices in the Latin rite, such as Ember Days or Advent fasts, and other rich Eastern Christian practices among Catholics and others."

The day also saw the bishops address mission priorities, especially in light of the recent Synod on Synodality, and other liturgical priorities affecting the celebration of Mass, the Liturgy of the Hours and Marian devotion.

The bishops voted 225-7, with two abstentions, to approve the new "mission directive" for 2025-2028, which commits the committees and staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to "prioritize the work of the Conference to help equip bishops, clergy, religious and the laity in evangelizing those who are religiously unaffiliated or disaffiliated from the Church, with special focus on young adults and the youth."

Bishop Barron also presented his committee's proposal to draft a succession document to the bishops' 2005 document on developing lay ecclesial ministry in the U.S., "Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord," citing "the experience of co-responsibility in the church, the evolving nature of parish and diocesan workplaces and above all the call to greater synodality."

The floor discussion saw some bishops voice the importance that the document avoid the twin pitfalls of clericalizing the laity or restricting lay ministry to professionals, and also to take steps to make sure the document did not end up on the shelf, generally unread and unheard of, after so much effort.

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis, chair of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, updated his fellow bishops Nov. 13 on his committee's plans to implement the ministry of the lay catechist, a ministry set forward by Pope Francis in his May 2021 apostolic letter "Antiquum Ministerium." He said the guide they are developing will be informed by "the call for ongoing missionary conversion from the recent Synod on Synodality."

The Latin Church bishops of the conference voted 220-2, with one abstention, to approve the final draft of "The Order of Crowning an Image of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The text now heads to the Vatican's Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments for confirmation.

The Latin bishops also approved Spanish texts for the Liturgy of the Hours, in a 213-1 vote, with nine abstentions, for use in U.S. dioceses. The Liturgy of the Hours is the public prayer of the church that complements the Mass or Divine Liturgy and consists of an ongoing, daily sequence of psalms, Scripture, canticles and reflections intended to sanctify the day.

Latin Church bishops also approved the revised New American Bible for liturgical use in 216-4 vote, with three abstentions.

In a short update on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Bishop Timothy C. Senior of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, chair of the relevant USCCB subcommittee, announced that after a thorough application and approval process to ensure conformity with church teaching, the CCHD Nov. 9 had approved 93 grants totaling "nearly 2.3 million dollars" to be distributed to community and economic development organizations around the United States.

In addition, he said, the subcommittee approved three internal grants for the USCCB for a total of $277,000 in support of the conference's work on educating Catholics on the root causes of poverty and its work combatting racism.

The announcement was made after grant-giving activity for the campaign was put on hold earlier this year when the CCHD ran into financial difficulties, which resulted in the layoffs of several employees after a reorganization of the conference.

Bishop James F. Checcio of Metuchen, New Jersey, the conference's treasurer and chair of the Committee on Budget and Finance, presented the proposed 2025 budget for the conference. While he acknowledged the "high rate of inflation," he said the conference remains in a good financial position, with the 2025 operating budget reduced by $2.4 million from the current operating budget -- and no increase in diocesan assessment to support the conference for the fifth year running.

The bishops voted to approve the budget in a 226-3 vote, with four abstentions.

Outside the hotel where the conference took place on the Baltimore waterfront, Bishop Joseph Strickland, who was removed by the Vatican from governance of the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, held a press conference attended by a couple dozen people, some of whom held flags and placards. He accused Pope Francis of making "unambiguous denials of the Catholic faith," called the Synod on Synodality "an abomination constructed not to guard the Deposit of Faith but to dismantle it," and lambasted his fellow bishops as "silent shepherds."

Bishop Strickland's accusations of heresy against Pope Francis appeared to have a similar tenor to those made by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, who was excommunicated after being found guilty of schism July 5.

Bishop Strickland did not participate in the bishops' assembly, a conference official confirmed.

Within the hotel, during a lunchtime discussion with reporters regarding the Synod on Synodality, OSV News asked Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore what next steps they had in mind for taking their experience of the synod in Rome to the diocesan and parish level.

Archbishop Lori noted that after meeting with synod participants from all over the world in Rome, he realized that the church in the United States already has long-standing participatory and consultative bodies in place. He said synodality is mainly "about culture change, not necessarily structure change or not necessarily canonical changes or any other kind of changes, but first and foremost the change in how we relate one to another in the body of Christ."

Bishop Flores said that, while the church in the U.S. has developed many consultative bodies since the Second Vatican Council, "without humility, the structure won't really help us."

He said the U.S. is in a "post-village world" where the village is a "small community." In light of this, "there are places in the world we can learn from" and "places in this country that are perhaps poorer, have less resources," but "can teach us a lot about the basic way we talk to each other and listen to each other and I think in this country."

"We need to hear the Holy Father when he says we really do have something to learn from the poor," he concluded.

The bishops' fall assembly began Nov. 11, concluding with an executive session closed to the public Nov. 14.

Peter Jesserer Smith is the national news and features editor for OSV News. Gretchen R. Crowe and Lauretta Brown also contributed to this report.