OSV News and Record Staff Reports
BALTIMORE — During the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops fall meeting on Nov. 12, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre was elected chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.
The bishops also elected four others to chair committees, and Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis was elected treasurer. They will serve the next year as chairs-elect and treasurer-elect, respectively, before taking office at the end of the 2025 fall meeting for a three-year term.
Archbishop Fabre was elected in a 158-81 vote over Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of Paterson, New Jersey.
“I am honored that my brother bishops have entrusted me to lead the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development as chairman,” said Archbishop Fabre in a Nov. 12 statement. “I look forward to working with the committee as we continue to advance the social mission of the Church through education and advocacy.”
The Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development “assists the bishops, both collectively and individually, in advancing the social mission of the Church through education, policy development, and advocacy,” according to the USCCB website. “The committee advises the bishops on issues of human dignity and development.”
The website lists four “key mission responsibilities” of the committee. They are:
1. “Sharing and promoting the social teachings of the Church through national and regional education efforts.”
2. “Applying Catholic social teaching to significant domestic issues that have moral and religious dimensions, including poverty, health care, civil rights, and criminal justice, especially regarding the death penalty.”
3. “Advocating for the poor and vulnerable, in the public policy arena.”
4. “Building the capacity of the Church (national, diocesan, and parish) to defend human life, dignity, and rights; and to protect God’s creation.”
Archbishop Fabre previously served the USCCB as chairman of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, as chairman of the Subcommittee on African-American Affairs and on the board of Catholic Relief Services, the bishops’ overseas relief and development agency.
The new treasurer-elect, Archbishop Hebda, will take over the conference’s treasurer post from Bishop James F. Checchio.
The USCCB treasurer is responsible for managing the funds of the conference, for “sound fiscal administration,” and also serves as vice chair of the Committee on Priorities and Plans.
This significant committee is made up of 15 bishops from every episcopal region in the U.S. and is responsible for identifying bishops willing to go on the ballot for chairmanship of various USCCB committees among other tasks.
Archbishop Hebda has been at the helm of the Twin Cities archdiocese since 2015, where he has led an effort to restructure and realign resources following the resignation of Archbishop John C. Nienstedt in 2015 for mismanaging clergy sexual abuse cases. He was first named apostolic administrator in 2015 and then led the archdiocese as its archbishop the year after.
The other bishops elected to chair committees are:
— Committee on Divine Worship: Auxiliary Bishop Michael G. Woost of Cleveland, was elected over Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, by a 128-112 vote.
— Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations: Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, was elected over Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt of Hartford, Connecticut, in a 146-94 vote.
— Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth: Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas was elected over Bishop James D. Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska, in a 147-91 vote.
— Committee on Migration: Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, was elected over Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Washington, in a 155-85 vote.
In addition, two bishops were confirmed overwhelmingly to serve on the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services, the international relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S.: Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison, Wisconsin, was confirmed to serve his second term, and Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington, was confirmed to serve his first.
