Catholic bishops choose their leaders
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- November
- 13
Some interesting developments from the U.S. Catholic Bishops conference in Baltimore, where the bishops have elected new officers.
Cardinal Francis George of Chicago (that’s him), “as expected,”:http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-bishops_bd11nov11,1,34653.story?ctrack=1&cset=true was elected president. He is widely considered the “first among equals” among the big-city cardinal/archbishops, a top thinker whose opinions count in Rome.
Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson was elected vice president, with Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee coming in second. Many observers think that Dolan has a shot to be come the next archbishop of New York (although others think he is destined to get Chicago after George).
Also  and this is kind of interesting  the chairmanship of a committee on canon law did not go to Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, a leading proponent of not giving Communion to pro-choice politicians like Rudy Giuliani. The seat instead went to Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago.
As NCR’s “John Allen”:http://ncrcafe.org/node/1430 explains it:
Burke has garnered national attention for his strong stand in favor of using canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law to justify refusing communion to politicians who support abortion rights, and his election could have been seen as an endorsement of that position.
Cardinal Egan, by the way, is not at the meetings because, as Whispers’ Rocco Palmo reports, he is “recuperating from an emergency dental procedure performed over the weekend.”
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 4:04 pm by Gary Stern.
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The world of religion, we don't have to tell you, is vast. The purpose of this blog is for Stern to note, flag and comment on some of the more interesting religious developments on the scene – weighty and quirky, somber and laughable, far away and just down the road. He won't interpret Scripture, take sides in conflicts or judge anyone. But he will take advantage of the journalist's license to observe.
