BALTIMORE (CNS) – The U.S. bishops voted Nov. 17 to approve a
pastoral letter on marriage, despite the concern voiced by
some bishops about the document’s pastoral tone and content.
Nearly 100 changes in two rounds of amendments preceded the
180-45 vote in favor of “Marriage: Love and Life in the
Divine Plan” on the second day of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops fall general assembly in Baltimore.
Two-thirds of the USCCB membership, or 175 votes, were
required for passage of the document. There were three
abstentions. Final approval came after an effort to remand
the document to committee failed 56 to 169.
In other action the bishops approved the English translation
and U.S. adaptations of five final sections of the Roman
Missal; passed a $144.5 million budget for 2010 for their
bishops’ conference; and heard a preliminary report on a
study on causes and context of sexual abuse.
Their 57-page pastoral on marriage offers support to married
couples and affirms true marriage can involve only a man and
a woman. It is another component in the bishops’ National
Pastoral Initiative for Marriage, which began in November
2004.
With overwhelming majority votes, the bishops approved
translations of the proper of the saints, specific prayers to
each saint in the universal liturgical calendar; the commons,
general prayers for celebrating saints listed in the “Roman
Martyrology”; the Roman Missal supplement; the U.S. propers,
a collection of orations and formularies for feasts and
memorials particular to the U.S. liturgical calendar; and
U.S. adaptations to the Roman Missal.
Earlier in the day the bishops heard a preliminary report on
a study of the causes and context of clergy sexual abuse of
minors being conducted by researchers at the John Jay College
of Criminal Justice.
Karen Terry, the principal researcher, told the bishops that
early findings confirm “a steep decline” in sexual abuse
cases after 1985. The findings also show diocesan response to
incidents of sex abuse have changed substantially over a
50-year-period, with an increase in administrative leave for
accused abusers and a decrease in the number accused abusers
reinstated.
The full study, commissioned by the bishops, is expected to
be released in December.
In other action Nov. 17, the bishops approved a $144.5
million budget for 2010, representing an increase of less
than 0.2 percent over 2009, and a 3 percent increase in the
diocesan assessment to support the work of the USCCB in 2011.
They also approved a priority plan titled “Deepen Faith,
Nurture Hope, Celebrate Life” and a series of “strategy and
operational plans” for offices and departments of the USCCB
for the next two years.
Late in the afternoon session, they began debate – and were
expected to vote – on other action items given a preliminary
presentation the first day of the meeting:
– Revisions to ethical and religious directives for Catholic
health care facilities that would clarify that patients with
chronic conditions who are not imminently dying should
receive food and water by “medically assisted” means if they
cannot take them normally.
– A document titled “Life-Giving Love in an Age of
Technology” that looks at the issue of reproductive
technologies.
In electronic voting Nov. 17, the bishops elected
chairmen-elect for five committees: Archbishop Robert J.
Carlson of St. Louis, Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life
and Vocations; Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans,
Committee on Divine Worship; Bishop Stephen E. Blaire of
Stockton, Calif., Committee on Domestic Justice and Human
Development; Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, recently named to head
the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., Committee on
Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Archbishop Jose
H. Gomez of San Antonio.
On Nov. 16, the first day of the meeting, the bishops heard a
report on health care reform and reaffirmed as a body the
statement that Cardinal Francis E. George, the bishops’
president, had made soon after the House approved its version
of reform legislation Nov. 7, expressing the bishops’
commitment to keep health reform legislation in the Senate
abortion-neutral.
A successful effort by USCCB leaders and staff members to
press lawmakers to keep abortion out of the House’s
Affordable Health Care for America Act provides an example
for the future, according to the chairman of the USCCB
Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
“It was a good example of how we as a conference can work
together to have a positive influence on legislation,” said
Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., in a
report to his fellow bishops. He spoke after the bishops gave
their endorsement to the cardinal’s statement.
The fact that House members knew the bishops wanted to see
health reform succeed as long as it was abortion-neutral
“allowed us to be heard in a number of different areas,” the
bishop added.
Earlier that day, in his presidential address, Cardinal
George contemplated a scenario of what the church would look
like without priests, framing his remarks in the context of
the Year for Priests, currently being celebrated in the
church through next June.
Without a priestly ministry rooted in holy orders, he said,
the ministry of teaching about the faith would fall primarily
to professors, “whose obligation is first to seek the truth
in the framework of their own academic discipline and whose
authority to teach derives from their professional
expertise.”
Without ordained priests, he said, “the church would be
deprived of the Eucharist, and her worship would be centered
only on the praise and thanksgiving.”
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York delivered a report on
the activities of Catholic Relief Services, which included a
four-minute video. He praised CRS, the U.S. bishops’ overseas
relief and development agency, for its “life-saving work.”
The bishops also heard from Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the
Vatican’s nuncio to the United States, who cited several of
Pope Benedict XVI’s recent homilies and reflections on
subjects ranging from the death of Pope Paul VI to religious
vocations and the qualities of a servant of the Lord.
He quoted from the pope’s homily at a Sept. 12 ordination
Mass for five new bishops, including a section in which Pope
Benedict reflected on the characteristics of correct service
in priestly and episcopal ministry – fidelity, or faith, as
the word translates in Greek, prudence and goodness.
“Fidelity is not fear, but rather is inspired by love and by
its dynamism,” said the pope, as quoted by Archbishop Sambi.
“Faith demands to be passed on; it was not given to us merely
for ourselves, for the personal salvation of our souls, but
for others, for this world and for our time.”
As to prudence, the pope said it demands “humble, disciplined
and watchful reason that does not let itself be blinded by
prejudices.”
At a Mass opening the conference, Cardinal George talked
about the dynamics of conversion, noting that the saints, in
particular, lived lives of constant conversion.
“In considering personal change, in contemplating conversion,
we ask ourselves: when does prudent accommodation become
betrayal of principle?” he said. “And when does faithful
devotion to principle become obstinacy? Perhaps the answer to
those questions comes only from within the relation that
binds us in intimacy to Christ himself.”
Contributing to this story were Patricia Zapor, Nancy Frazier
O’Brien and Mark Pattison in Baltimore.
