WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Felipe J. Estévez, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Saint Augustine, and has appointed Reverend Erik T. Pohlmeier, as Bishop-elect of Saint Augustine. Bishop-elect Pohlmeier is a priest of the Diocese of Little Rock, and currently serves as pastor at Christ the King parish in Little Rock, […]

WASHINGTON – In response to the news of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas reported this afternoon, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, director of public affairs. “There have been too many school shootings, too much killing of the innocent. Our Catholic faith calls us to pray for those who […]

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has appointed the Most Reverend Paul F. Russell as auxiliary bishop of Detroit. He is the titular archbishop of Novi. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on May 23, 2022, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. The Archdiocese of Detroit is comprised of 3,901 square miles in the State of Michigan […]

WASHINGTON – On May 16, the U.S. Department of State announced the Biden Administration’s intention to renew relations with Cuba. Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace welcomed the news: “We commend the Administration’s renewed interest in restarting U.S. engagement with Cuba. Recognizing that points of […]

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has appointed Reverend Mikael Bassale as Apostolic Administrator for the Ordinariate for Armenian Catholics of Eastern Europe. The appointment was publicized in Washington on May 17, 2022, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. Father Bassale is currently pastor of Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church in Belmont, Massachusetts, a parish within the Armenian […]

WASHINGTON – In response to the shootings in Buffalo, NY and Laguna Woods, CA over the weekend, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offered the following statement from its spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, director of public affairs. “The U.S. bishops join with others throughout the country in offering prayers for the support and healing of the families, friends, and communities […]

WASHINGTON – Catholics in many dioceses throughout the United States will have the opportunity to give to support the Catholic Church’s communications efforts on May 28-29. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) works to spread the Gospel through the media in all its forms. Its work is funded by an annual collection through which the […]

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Edward M. Deliman, 75, from the Office of Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. The resignation was publicized in Washington on May 13, 2022, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States. ### Media Contact: Chieko Noguchi 202-541-3200

WASHINGTON – Upon the news of the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong on May 11, Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace called for prayer and the pursuit of justice. Bishop Malloy’s full statement follows: “The alarming news of the May 11 arrest in […]

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Senate failed to advance the Women’s Health Protection Act, S. 4132. This bill would have imposed abortion on demand nationwide at any stage of pregnancy through federal statute and would have eliminated pro-life laws at every level of government — including parental notification for minor girls, informed consent, and health or safety protections specific to abortion facilities. S. 4132 also would have compelled […]