US Catholic bishops elect Baltimore's William Lori as new vice president
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore's Archbishop William Lori was elected the vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Tuesday.
His three-year term kicks in after this week, according to a spokesperson.
Lori, who is chairman of the Bishops Committee on Pro-life Activities, has acknowledged during his chairmanship that many Catholics favor legalized access to abortion.
"The demise of Roe is a great victory, but it will be a Pyrrhic victory if we fail to win in the minds and hearts, first and foremost of our fellow Catholics," Lori said.
"We cannot credibly speak in a polarized society as long as our own house is divided," he said. "At the same time, we cannot wait until perfect unanimity has been attained before we bear witness to the ambient culture about human life and dignity."
Along with Lori, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Services, who oversees Catholic ministries to the U.S. armed forces, was elected Tuesday as the new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Broglio, 70, was elected from a field of 10 candidates. He will succeed Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, who assumed the post in 2019.
Usually the election of a new USCCB leaders is a formality, with the bishops elevating the conference's vice president to the post. But this year's election was wide open because the incumbent VP — Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron — will turn 75 soon, making him ineligible to serve.
The 10 candidates ranged from the relatively moderate Archbishop Paul Etienne of Seattle to San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, a staunch conservative. Cordileone made headlines this year by barring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a San Franciscan, from receiving Communion in the archdiocese because of her support for abortion rights.