Bishops shift to emphasise concern for the poor

Liberal-minded bishops have made only limited progress in their efforts to persuade the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to reflect more fully Pope Francis’ priorities such as care for the poor and the environment, writes Michael Sean Winters.

At their plenary meeting on Tuesday the conference approved a document for Catholic voters ahead of the presidential elections that highlighted issues like same-sex marriage and abortion over poverty, immigration and care for creation. However, in the vote on the conference’s strategic priorities – evangelisation, family and marriage, human life and dignity, vocations and ongoing formation, and religious freedom – several bishops applauded the drafting committee for making changes in the text to reflect greater attention to immigrants and the poor. At the bishops’ June meeting, some bishops complained that the priorities did not reflect Pope Francis’ concern for the poor.