Nation's Catholic bishops gather in Baltimore Monday

[rug]

November 9, 2014 7:06 PM
By Jonathan Pitts, The Baltimore Sun

Nearly 300 bishops from across the nation will determine the coming year's agenda for the American Roman Catholic church when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops begins its annual fall meeting Monday in Baltimore.

The bishops will spend four days at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Harbor East, where they will hammer out organizational positions and courses of action on matters ranging from schooling and medical care to liturgy and exorcism.

The Baltimore archdiocese, the oldest in the United States, is marking its 225th anniversary this year, a milestone the conference will celebrate with a Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption Monday evening.

To Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, it will be a highlight of the conference.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-bishops-conference-2-20141109-story.html

[CBHagman]

1. How did I miss this story?

Thanks for the update.

[CBHagman]

2. Update from yesterday.

I selected the passage that might inspire a facepalm, but read the rest of the article and see what you think.

[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/lets-not-get-ahead-of-ourselves-is-us-catholic-bishops-tone-as-they-meet/2014/11/10/4237460e-691f-11e4-9fb4-a622dae742a2_story.html[/url]

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We are Americans, we want answers now,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, head of the Louisville archdiocese and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which opened its annual meeting Monday in Baltimore. “Abstractly, while the teachings of the church remain timeless, the opportunities to reach out creatively have changed with each age because the circumstances change. .?.?. So let’s give ourselves a chance to let that unfold so that creative ways .?.?. can bubble up.”

Kurtz was speaking on a panel in which some of the bishops who had attended the synod shared their experiences with the entire group.

The pope has opened dialogue on Catholic teachings and practices in a way that has thrilled many Catholics and alarmed many others. Experts say this has created a challenging environment for Catholic leaders as they shape their own priorities.

The U.S. bishops stressed Monday that they would be focusing largely on their pre-Francis agendas, including religious freedom (and their fight against the White House health plan’s mandate that employers offer birth control coverage), protecting traditional marriage and promoting natural family planning.

[rug]

3. Thanks for the update.

I was flipping channels and caught the vote on what translation of "Adam" to use in the Daily Office. I kept flipping.