According to the New York Times, Roman Catholic bishops elected new leaders for the church's fight against abortion. Notably, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of Archdiocese for the Military Services as the new president.
The report said that in addition to Archbishop Broglio, the bishops will also have Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore as the new vice president. With the election of the two archbishops, the news outlet says that it is expected that the church will continue its conservative leanings when it comes to social issues.
The Views Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio
The outlet said that this came after the Roman Catholic bishops took big losses during the midterm elections and that the election of the archbishops was a way for the church to refocus on their mission.
As for the advocacies and political beliefs of Broglio, he has gone on record supporting military service members who asked for religious exemption when it comes to the COVID-19 Vaccine. He also said that there could be a correlation between homosexuality and the church's sexual abuse cases. It should be noted that the claim is not substantiated or corroborated by any data.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Election
The article also talked about the outgoing president, Archbishop José H. Gomez who said in his speech that. 'Traditional values and norms have been tested like never before.'
USNews also reported on the election of Broglio for the three-year term. For the position, she was chosen from 10 qualified candidates. These candidates included Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle and Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, among others.
Before becoming the president of the conference, he served as its secretary, as well as the chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace.
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United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
According to the page of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, it is an organization that 'promotes the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programs of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstances of time and place.'
The hierarchy of bishops exercises pastoral functions to the Catholics of the United States and the Virgin Islands. Apart from Catholic activities, they take care of welfare work, education, immigrant care, and other outreach programs.
The conference started in 1917 as the National Catholic War Council that the church founded for the care and services of servicemen in World War I. Over the years, this organization would have multiple name changes until it became the USCCB in 2001.
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio
On the page of the USCCB, it says that Most Rev. Timothy P. Broglio served as the USCCB Secretary since 2019. Prior to his higher postings, he served on multiple committees of the conference such as the Canonical Affairs and Church Governance Committee, Subcommittees for the Defense of Marriage and Health Care, and the 2013 Special Assembly and the Committees on Canon Law and Church Governance, Religious Freedom, and International Justice and Peace.
An experienced member of the cloth, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1977.
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