UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
Thomas Reese | Nov. 14, 2014 Faith and Justice
A lack of passion and leadership marked the meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops this week in Baltimore. Their agenda was stale and did not reflect the excitement that Pope Francis’ papacy has generated.
The pope has caught the imagination of the world with his emphasis on God’s love, compassion, and mercy toward us and our need to respond by loving one another, especially the poor. But most of the bishops’ meeting was devoted to mind-numbing housekeeping actions and reports.
The action items dealt with minor liturgical translations, which got some of the bishops excited, but no one else. Should it be “children of Adam,” as the committee recommended, or “children of men,” or “sons of men”? The committee won. And does the bishop really have to preach while seated with a miter on his head and crosier in hand at the dedication of a church as required by the rubrics?
Meanwhile, nothing was said about the economic plight of the American people, gridlock in Washington, or the wars in which America is engaged. They practically ignored immigration and only gave a few minutes to the topic because the media kept asking why the bishops were silent on the hottest political issue of the day.
There is a significant faction among the bishops and the USCCB staff who do not want these issues emphasized lest they distract from their core agenda — opposition to gay marriage, abortion, and the contraceptive mandate.
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