10 US bishops stand for election as the conference's next president, vice president

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- When the U.S. bishops gather for their fall plenary assembly Nov. 10-13 in Baltimore, they will elect the next president and vice president for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The president and vice president are elected from a slate of 10 candidates who have been nominated by their fellow bishops, the USCCB said in an Oct. 14 news release.

The candidates (in alphabetical order) are:

-- Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota.
-- Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City.
-- Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas.
-- Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston.
-- Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois.
-- Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia.
-- Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana.
-- Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon.
-- Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis.
-- Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit.

The president and vice president are elected to three-year terms, which begin at the conclusion of this year's plenary assembly.

The USCCB bylaws provide that the first election is of the president by simple majority vote of members present and voting. Following his election, the vice president is elected from the remaining nine candidates.

In either election, if a candidate does not receive more than half of the votes cast on the first ballot, a second vote is taken. If a third round of voting is necessary, that ballot is a run-off between the two bishops who received the most votes on the second ballot.

The current USCCB president and vice president, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, will complete their terms at the assembly.

During the meeting, the bishops will also vote for new chairmen-elect of six USCCB standing committees: Canonical Affairs and Church Governance; Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Evangelization and Catechesis; International Justice and Peace; Protection of Children and Young People; and Religious Liberty.

The six bishops elected will serve for one year as chairman-elect before beginning a three-year term at the conclusion of the bishops' 2026 fall plenary assembly.

If any of the candidates for committee chairmanship are elected to fill to a higher office, the bishops' Committee on Priorities and Plans will convene to nominate a new candidate for that committee.