BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Reporter

Joshua J. McElwee | Nov. 11, 2013
Fall bishops’ meeting 2013

BALTIMORE The opening of the U.S. bishops’ annual fall assembly Monday morning was marked by noted changes in tone and emphasis for the prelates, who have focused extensively in the last two years on a fight against the Obama administration’s implementation of the health care law.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is stepping down this week after three years as the conference’s president, barely mentioned that fight in his presidential address, instead focusing on the issue of religious freedom globally.

Likewise, Archbishop Carlo Viganò, the Vatican’s ambassador to the U.S., focused on the role of bishops as witnesses who adopt a “noticeable lifestyle characterized by simplicity and holiness of life.”

Quoting extensively from Pope Paul VI, Viganò urged the American bishops to be witnesses rather than teachers. If a person listens…