U.S. bishops are starting to bend toward Pope Francis in tone and substance


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
There have always been, for lack of better words, conservative and liberal wings of the U.S. Catholic Church, and that's true of its bishops, too. Since at least the 1980s, the conservative faction has generally held sway. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is meeting in New Orleans, says Michael Paulson at The New York Times, and the bishops are trying to figure out how to talk and act in the age of Pope Francis. Paulson reports:
They are rethinking what kinds of houses they live in, and what kinds of cars they drive. They are wondering whether, in anticipation of the 2016 presidential election, they need to rewrite their advice to parishioners to make sure that poverty, and not just abortion, is discussed as a high-priority issue. And they are trying to get better about returning phone calls, reaching out to the disenchanted and the disenfranchised, and showing up at events. [The New York Times]
These aren't all tonal and substantive shifts leftward, but they would certainly put the U.S. bishops more on the side of the parts of Francis' pontificate that make him popular: Humility, charity, non-judgmentalism. The U.S. bishop closest to Pope Francis, Boston's Cardinal Séan O'Malley, is ahead of the curve on this — he sold the opulent archbishop's palace in 2004 to pay for sex abuse settlements.
The bishops are still dealing with the loss of legitimacy and other fallout from the sex abuse scandal that spread nationwide (and beyond) from Boston in 2002. Not all of the bishops are on board with shift in emphasis, but the era of Pope John Paul II is over — and a change will probably do America's bishops some good.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.
-
6 new horror novels to read this fall
These upcoming releases will have you on the edge of your seat — or hiding under the covers
By David Faris Published
-
6 bucolic homes in New Hampshire
Feature Featuring an island house in Meredith and a private pond in Lee
By The Week Staff Published
-
Etaf Rum recommends 6 empowering reads centered around women
Feature The author suggests works by Zora Neale Hurston, Sylvia Plath and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
The United Methodist Church has lost 20% of U.S. congregations in schism over LGBTQ rules
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Pope Francis investigates Texas bishop, accepts early resignation of embattled Tennessee prelate
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Southern Baptists expel Saddleback, 2nd church over female pastors, approve further clampdown
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Thousands flock to Missouri to see body of nun who died in 2019
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Report finds nearly 2,000 kids abused by Catholic clergy in Illinois over decades
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Pope Francis is involved in 'mission' to bring peace to Ukraine
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Jewish-Muslim tensions boil over in Jerusalem
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Pope Francis hospitalized with respiratory infection
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published