Bishops' Schedules: Bishop Robert C. Morlino Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007 11:00 a.m. -- Preside and preach at Stational Mass, St. Patrick Church, Madison Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007 7:00 p.m. -- Preside and preach at Mass celebrating beatification of Franz Jaegerstaetter, St. Patrick Church, Madison Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 11:00 a.m. -- Attend meeting of Presbyteral Council, Bishop O'Connor Center, Madison 7:00 p.m. -- Attend St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture, Sr. Mary Prudence Allen, "The Nature and Dignity of Women," Bishop O'Connor Center, Madison Bishop William H. Bullock Monday, Nov. 26, 2007 12:00 noon -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, Madison

General assembly: Reflections on USCCB meeting

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

(printable version)
(en Español)

Dear Friends,

The General Assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops concluded last Thursday and so it seems appropriate that I offer you some reflections at this time - not surprisingly, in the form of three points.

In the first place, how joyful it was for us as bishops to be the first ones to hear from Archbishop Sambi, the Apostolic Nuncio, that our Holy Father will be with us for a pastoral visit from April 15 to 20.

It is so true, as Archbishop Sambi reminded us, that Peter will indeed walk among us in the person of our Holy Father. His pastoral concern for each one of us in the United States is strong and with you, I am deeply grateful for the fact that Peter, even at an advanced age, has chosen to come and be among us. In fact, our Holy Father will celebrate both his 81st birthday and the anniversary of his entrance into the ministry of Peter with us during those days.

How much he must love us, to have chosen to spend those moments of personal celebration in our midst. I have very little knowledge of the details of his visit or of the logistics for us to participate, but as soon as I have further details, the communication with all of you will be immediate, so that those who wish to participate in this momentous occasion can take the necessary steps to do so.

Sense of unity and cooperative spirit

Secondly, the vast majority of bishops seemed to be in agreement, as we were leaving Baltimore, that this was the best gathering of the bishops of the United States that we have ever experienced. The reason, I believe, was the strong sense of unity and the cooperative spirit which we experienced during our time together.

There were several votes where the bishops present were in agreement one hundred percent, which I myself have never seen previously. And, when there were votes that were split virtually in half, those who were members of the committees with responsibility for a particular issue chose to listen to the minority vote and to modify the document at hand because the minority was virtually fifty percent. This kind of collaboration and cooperation for the sake of the truth left everyone energized at the end of the meeting - as far as I could tell.

In particular, our updating of the document on faithful citizenship, which is on responsible Catholic voting, is now - for the first time - a document of the whole body of bishops, rather than of a smaller committee or subcommittee. The document, which aims to assist Catholic voters in forming their conscience, for the first time makes all of the distinctions and takes into account all of the principles which are necessary for responsible Catholic conscience formation

I have every hope that priests and their parishioners will work together to study this document well, in advance of the 2008 elections, so that an authentic Catholic voice will be present in the public square.

Met with Bishop Paul J. Swain

Lastly, because so many of you remember him and hold him up in prayer with such deep affection, I want to let you know that I had some wonderful moments with Bishop Swain. He is flourishing in the Diocese of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and not surprisingly, making a wonderful contribution to the deliberations of our conference as we consider matters very important to the Church in the United States. Bishop Swain is very aware of your prayers and love, and certainly wanted me to convey his prayers and love to you in return.

All in all, our meeting in Baltimore was just a wonderful experience and I rely on your prayers that the decisions which we took during those days will be implemented with serenity, so as to redound to God's Glory in our country, which needs so desperately to give glory to our God. Thank you for reading this, God bless each one of you, and may He grant a Blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Praised be Jesus Christ!