As Catholic Bishops’ Communion War Shakes June Meeting, Look What Is Not On The Agenda

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(RNS) – When bishops virtually gather for their June meeting next week, all attention will be focused on whether pro-choice Catholic politicians will be banned from communion.

The answer: spoiler alert! – it’s no.

At the June 16-18 meeting, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will vote only on whether to authorize its Committee on Doctrine to write a document “to help Catholics understand the beauty and the mystery. of the Eucharist as the center of their Christian life ”. in the words of the President of the USCCB, the Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez.

Such a document is unlikely to be produced until at least the fall meeting of bishops and is not likely to produce a ban, which is the business of individual bishops, not the USCCB, like the Vatican’s. clearly stated.


RELATED: Four Reasons for Vatican Action on Communion for Pro-Choice Politicians


But what is most telling is what is not on the agenda: nothing on global warming, racism or the economy, the most central topics for America’s future. and the world. What about the voting laws that threaten our democracy?

Of course, there are other items on the agenda in addition to the communion project. The bishops will consider a proposal to develop a pastoral framework for young people, but again, the vote will not be on a document but on whether to draft a document.

But a framework on young people will be of no use if young people themselves do not take bishops seriously. They will not take the bishops seriously if the USCCB does not prioritize the issues that concern them most.

A more developed pastoral framework under consideration relates to marriage and the ministry of family life in the spirit of “Amoris Laetitia», The 2016 exhortation of Pope Francis on love in the family.

Given the centrality of the family in Catholic life, the Bishops’ Document could be important as a framework for the implementation of “Amoris Laetitia” in the United States. On the other hand, the project will likely avoid controversial topics like same-sex marriage and communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.

But will the bishops say anything at their meeting about immigration and gun violence, which affects so many families in this country, including many Catholics?


RELATED: Communion ban for pro-choice politicians is an old story, but the stakes have risen


The bishops will also vote on a few liturgical translations for approval, the votes of liturgical geeks will watch to see if the translations follow the new rules established by Francis or if they continue the word-for-word approach favored by Benoît.

But what about the issues that preoccupy Catholics around the world? What about religious freedom in China, India and elsewhere? What about our obligation to make COVID vaccines available to the poorest countries? What about the refugees? Afghanistan?

Some of these topics that bishops have spoken about in the past, but their urgency demands more. It is sad that American bishops are so focused on the war of communion that they have no energy for anything else.

The silence on these matters is deafening.

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