Bishop Rhoades elected USCCB secretary; 6 bishops named to lead key posts

BALTIMORE (OSV News) -- The U.S. bishops Nov. 12 elected Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, as the new secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

They also elected a successor for Bishop Rhoades as chair of the Committee for Religious Liberty, and selected chairmen-elect for five standing committees.

As secretary, Bishop Rhoades succeeds Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, who was elected president of the USCCB on Nov. 11. Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, was elected vice president of the conference. Their three-year term in those roles begins at the end of the fall plenary.

Archbishop Coakley was at the end of his three-year term as secretary, having been elected to the post on Nov. 15, 2022.

The bishops then voted for a new chairman to succeed Bishop Rhoades as religious liberty chair. Two nominees stood for election for what was to have been chairman-elect of that committee, but because Bishop Rhoades was elected USCCB secretary, the spot was for chairman, who will finish Bishop Rhoades' term, which ends at the close of the bishops' fall 2027 plenary.

The nominees were Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon, and Bishop Michael J. Sis of San Angelo, Texas, and they each received 111 votes.

To break the tie, a standing USCCB rule was invoked that the prelate with the most seniority would win the election. That was interpreted -- after a check of the rules governing the bishops' plenary assembly -- as the prelate who was older by birth date.

Both Bishop Sis and Archbishop Sample are 65, but the Texas prelate is a few months older, so he got the nod. However, Bishop Sis then rose to withdraw his name, giving the win to Archbishop Sample.

Right before the conference met, the Portland archbishop issued a Nov. 8 statement regarding recent immigration enforcement activity in that state, declaring human dignity comes "not from government, but from our loving God."

"It does not matter whether some of our brothers and sisters have proper documentation or not," Archbishop Sample said in his message to encourage Hispanic Catholics. "They are our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ."

The bishops also chose chairmen-elect for five USCCB committees -- from two nominees for each committee.

For the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance, Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob of Milwaukee won over Bishop Edward M. Lohse of Kalamazoo, Michigan, 113 to 108 votes.

For the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Auxiliary Bishop Peter L. Smith of Portland, Oregon, won over Bishop Daniel J. Felton of Duluth, Minnesota, 139 to 88.

For the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, Bishop William A. Wack of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, won over Bishop Earl K. Fernandes of Columbus, Ohio, 116 to 106.

For the Committee on International Justice and Peace, Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia won over Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit, 154 to 68.

For the Committee on Protection of Children and Young People, Bishop Mark W. O'Connell won over Bishop John P. Dolan of Phoenix, 116 to 106.

On Oct. 20, Bishop O'Connell was appointed by Pope Leo XIV to succeed retiring Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger as head of the Diocese of Albany, New York. Bishop O'Connell had been an auxiliary bishop of Boston from 2016 until his new appointment.

Each bishop elected will serve for one year as the chairman-elect of his respective committee before starting a three-year term as chairman at the conclusion of the bishops' 2026 fall plenary assembly.

Archbishop Coakley as the new USCCB president and Bishop Flores as the new vice president succeed the outgoing president and vice president, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who will complete their terms at the end of the plenary assembly. Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Flores will begin their three-year terms upon the conclusion of the bishops' Nov. 10-13 fall assembly.

Also beginning a three-year term is Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis as the USCCB's new treasurer, succeeding Coadjutor Archbishop James F. Checchio of New Orleans. Archbishop Hebda was voted in as treasurer-elect at the bishops' 2024 fall plenary assembly and took over officially at the end of this year's plenary.

Prelates elected last November as chairmen-elect for a number of committees also start their three-year terms as chairmen of their respective committees: Auxiliary Bishop Michael G. Woost of Cleveland, for Divine Worship; Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations; Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, for Domestic Justice and Human Development; Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas, for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth; and Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, for Migration.
The 2025 elections were notable because they marked the first leadership change at the conference since Pope Leo XIV, the U.S.-born pontiff, began his pontificate in May.

Archbishop Coakley, 70, has led the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City since 2011. He was born to John and Mary Coakley in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1955, but the family moved to Kansas 10 years later. He began seminary studies for the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas, in 1978. He has been serving as the USCCB's secretary.

Bishop Flores, 64, was born to Fernando Javier Flores and Lydia Dilley Flores in 1961 in Palacios, Texas. He entered Holy Trinity Seminary, an institution associated with the University of Dallas, in 1981. He has led the Brownsville Diocese since 2010.

Archbishop Coakley was elected president on the third round of voting in a run-off with Bishop Flores in a race that had involved 10 candidates. Bishop Flores, who has led the USCCB’s involvement in the synod process, was then elected decisively on the first round for the vice presidential election.