The Valley Catholic November 29, 2016 | Page 10

10 in the church
November 29 , 2016 | The Valley Catholic

Texas Cardinal , L . A . Archbishop Elected USCCB President , Vice President

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service
BALTIMORE ( CNS ) – Cardinal Daniel N . DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was elected president of the U . S . bishops ’ conference Nov . 15 for a three-year term to begin at the conclusion of the bishops ’ annual fall general assembly in Baltimore .
Cardinal DiNardo collected a majority of votes on the first ballot of voting during the second day of the bishops ’ public session . Based on the number of bishops voting , 104 votes were needed for election , and Cardinal DiNardo – the current vice president of the U . S . Conference of Catholic Bishops – received 113 .
He will succeed Archbishop Joseph E . Kurtz of Louisville , Kentucky , whose three-year term as president concludes at the end of the meeting .
Elected vice president was Archbishop Jose H . Gomez of Los Angeles . By virtue of his election , Archbishop Gomez will not take over as chairman of the bishops ’ Committee on Migration . He was elected last year as chairman-elect of the committee and was to succeed the current outgoing chairman , Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio L . Elizondo of Seattle , at the end of this year ’ s general assembly .
A lunchtime meeting was scheduled for the committee to advance two names for chairman to be voted on by the full body of bishops .
Archbishop Gomez was elected vice
Archbishop Jose H . Gomez of Los Angeles smiles Nov . 15 after he was elected vice president of the U . S . Conference of Catholic Bishops during the annual fall general assembly of the USCCB in Baltimore . ( CNS photo / Bob Roller )
president on the third ballot .
Under rules established by the USCCB , the names of 10 bishops who are willing to be nominated for the USCCB presidency are presented for voting . After a president is elected , the remaining nine are then considered for the vice presidency .
If no candidate of the nine has received a simple majority after two ballots , the third ballot features only the two top vote-getters in the second round . Archbishop Gomez was elected over Archbishop Gregory M . Aymond of New Orleans .
The other nominees were , in alphabetical order , Archbishops Charles J . Chaput of Philadelphia and Paul S . Coakley of Oklahoma City ; Bishop Daniel E . Flores of Brownsville , Texas , the only non-archbishop among the original 10 ; and Archbishops William E . Lori of Baltimore , Allen H . Vigneron
of Detroit , Thomas G . Wenski of Miami , and John C . Wester of Santa Fe , New Mexico .
The bishops also voted for chairmen-elect of five standing committees and three representatives for the board of Catholic Relief Services , the U . S . bishops ’ overseas relief and development agency .
The standing committees include Canonical Affairs and Church Governance ; Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs ; Evangelization and Catechesis ; International Justice and Peace ; and Protection of Children and Young People .
The chairmen-elect each will begin a three-year term as chairmen at the end of the bishops ’ fall general assembly in 2017 :
• Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance : Bishop Robert P . Deeley of Portland , Maine , elected over Bishop David M . Malloy of Rockford , Illinois , 111 to 89 .
• Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs : Bishop Joseph C . Bambera of Scranton , Pennsylvania , elected over Bishop Michael C . Barber of Oakland , California , 115 to 90 .
• Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis : Auxiliary Bishop Robert E . Barron of Los Angeles elected over Bishop Frank J . Caggiano of Bridgeport , Connecticut , 122 to 90 .
• Committee on International Justice
and Peace : Archbishop Timothy P . Broglio of the U . S . Archdiocese for the Military Services elected over Bishop Robert W . McElroy of San Diego , 127 to 88 .
• Committee on Protection of Children and Young People : Bishop Timothy L . Doherty of Lafayette , Indiana , elected over Bishop Joseph J . Tyson of Yakima , Washington , 128 to 86 .
Also several chairmen-elect chosen last year will become committee chairmen at the end of this year ’ s assembly and will serve three-year terms :
• Divine Worship : Archbishop Wilton D . Gregory of Atlanta .
• Domestic Justice and Human Development : Bishop Frank J . Dewane of Venice , Florida .
• Clergy , Consecrated Life and Vocations : Cardinal-elect Joseph W . Tobin of Indianapolis , who recently was appointed archbishop of Newark , New Jersey .
• Catholic Education : Bishop George V . Murry of Youngstown , Ohio .
• Laity , Marriage , Family Life and Youth : Archbishop Chaput .
A vote also was taken for three seats on the board of Catholic Relief Services . Elected were Archbishop Coakley , who ends his term as president of the board but remained eligible to continue serving ; Archbishop Jerome E . Listecki of Milwaukee ; and Bishop Gregory L . Parkes of Pensacola-Tallahassee , Florida .

Top Vatican Official Congratulates Trump , Offers Prayers

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – Congratulating Donald Trump for his victory in the U . S . presidential election , the Vatican secretary of state expressed hope that people would work together “ to change the global situation , which is a situation of serious laceration , serious conflict .”
Cardinal Pietro Parolin , Pope Francis ’ top aide , spoke about the election early Nov . 9 during a meeting at Rome ’ s Pontifical Lateran University . The Vatican then released a transcript of his remarks .
“ First of all ,” he said , “ we respectfully must take note of the will expressed by the American people in this exercise of democracy that , they
President-elect Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech at the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan in the early morning hours Nov . 9 . ( CNS photo / Shawn Thew , EPA )
tell me , was characterized by a large turnout at the polls .”
“ We send our best wishes to the new president that his administration may truly be fruitful ,” the cardinal said . “ And we also assure him of our prayers that the Lord would enlighten and sustain him in his service to his country naturally , but also in serving the well-being and peace of the world .”
Cardinal Parolin was asked about the polemics that arose earlier in the year between Trump and Pope Francis over the question of immigration , especially concerning the U . S . -Mexico border .
“ Let ’ s see how the president acts ,” Cardinal Parolin said . “ Normally , they say , it is one thing to be a candidate and another to be president , to have that responsibility .”
“ It seems premature to make judgments ” until Trump is inaugurated and begins making decisions , Cardinal Parolin said .
During an in-flight news conference Feb . 17 after a trip to Mexico , the pope was asked about his reaction to Trump ’ s proposal that the United States extend a fence along the full length of the border and his comments to Fox Business Network that Pope Francis is a politician and is being used by Mexicans .
“ As far as being ‘ a pawn ,’ ” the pope said , “ that ’ s up to you , to the people , to decide .”
But one thing Pope Francis said he did know was that “ a person who thinks only of building walls , wherever they may be , and not building bridges , isn ’ t Christian .”
Asked if a Catholic could vote for such a candidate in good conscience , the pope told reporters , “ I ’ m not going to get mixed up in that . I ’ ll just say , this man is not Christian if he says this ” about building walls .