Bishops in Baltimore (Day One)

This week the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting in Baltimore. AmP will strive to provide complete, accurate day-by-day coverage. This meeting will feature ongoing discussions about (and possibly yield solutions to) several controversies facing the American Catholic hierarchy. Notable agenda items for this week include:

1. Election of a new 3 year term president (in all probability Francis Cardinal George of Chicago)
2. Election of a new 3 year term vice-president from a pool of nine nominees.
3. Election of new chairs for several important committees (terms vary)
4. Discussion of a new document advising Catholics how to Vote their Catholic conscience (briefly reported previously here, here & here)
5. Discussion of the role of U.S. Bishops in political issues
6. Presentation and discussion of John Jay research on the causes of the sex-abuse crisis
7. Discussion of the U.S. Bishop's ongoing marriage campaign (previously reported here).
8. Discussion of revised guidelines for music selections at Mass

• Related: This week's AmP reader poll: Who should be the USCCB vice-president in 2008?

Essential links:

• The USCCB's official page for the 2007 Fall General Assembly
• Documents from this year's meeting will be posted here.
• EWTN will provide live video and audio feeds of the public sessions here (schedule here).
• John Allen's coverage here, Rocco Palmo's updates here.

General comments:

Newly-installed Archbishop of Baltimore Edwin F. O'Brien has been making headlines in the weeks leading up to this meeting, first removing one of his priests for grave liturgical and disciplinary infractions (Get Religion covered the story here), and second by calling the defense of traditional marriage "an urgent necessity".

Local newspaper Baltimore Sun is already providing an open forum for people to vent their complaints against the Church's governing hierarchy. Expect more comments of a similar nature throughout the week.

St. Blogs commentary:

• Diogenes: The vote to watch
• Ed Peters: The choice between Abp. Burke and Bp. Paprocki

Mainstream media reporting:

• USA Today: Bishops to guide voting faithful on life questions
• New York Times: Catholic Bishops’ Taxing Task: Election-Year Statement
• Associated Press: Chicago archbishop poised to lead U.S. bishops
• Associated Press: Catholic bishops to meet in Baltimore

Liveblogging updates (EWTN live video and audio feeds here):

• 11:50am - Rocco gives us his first report, Morning at "The Circus"
• 11:55am - John Allen gives us his first reports, Advisors call for document on reproductive technology & 'It's the Devil, stupid!'
• 12:05pm - Abp. Pietro Sambi has officially confirmed that Pope Benedict is visiting the USA (DC & NYC) from April 15-20. Complete coverage of that story here.
• 12:10pm - John Allen: "Situation in Iraq 'unacceptable and unsustainable'"
• 12:15pm - Action item #13 (re: informing consciences & voting) is now being discussed
• 12:20pm - Q&A session.
• 12:25pm - Action item #14 Mandates for the permanent sub-committees.
• 12:25pm - Action item #15 Something about stewardship and teenagers presented by Bp. Baker.
• 1:00pm - Abp. Wuerl is handling the press conference very well I think.
• 1:05pm - Things will be quiet until the next live broadcast (2-5pm EST)
• 3:45pm - John Allen: "In what shaped up as the liveliest discussion of the morning, a proposed new rite for weekday celebration of the Eucharist in the absence of a priest brought the bishops face-to-face with the difficult choices created by a spreading priest shortage.... The draft rite was presented as a simple response to pastoral reality, but some bishops wondered aloud if it might amount to institutionalizing what should be seen as an exceptional and temporary situation."
• 3:50pm - Rocco alerts that Bp. Skylstad's presidential address has been posted.

AmP coverage of last year's meeting is available here:

• [Day One] [Day Two] [Day Three]