Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and Msgr. Ronny Jenkins, USCCB general secretary, met with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden at the White House today.
The USCCB issued a brief statement about the meeting, saying that it “continued the goodwill evident during the visit of Pope Francis” in September. The Catholic leaders, Obama and Biden “addressed a range of issues important to Catholics in the United States as well as the common good,” the statement said, “including Syrian and Middle East refugees, religious persecution, religious freedom, immigration reform and prison reform.”
“The bishops,” it concluded, “are grateful for this opportunity for candid, cordial dialogue” with the president and vice president.
