Former Valley Priest Elected to Lead U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

By Dan Sheehan
The Morning Call
November 12, 2013

http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-catholic-bishop-conference-kurtz-20131112,0,2148940.story

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, a former priest in the Diocese of Allentown, has been elected to lead the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Kurtz succeeds Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York.

"By what name will you be called?" Dolan asked Kurtz after this morning's vote -- a joking reference to the first question asked of a newly elected pope.

Kurtz, 67, who had been vice president of the bishops' body, was one of 10 church leaders from around the country nominated to become the organization's president.

Church watchers said Kurtz's moderate viewpoint and experience working in the church's social services arm made him a logical candidate.

His election is also a return to tradition, as the cleric occupying the vice president's post has typically been elevated to the top spot in the next election. The conference had broken that tradition in 2010 by electing Dolan.

In a statement, Allentown Bishop John O. Barres said Kurtz's election "is a point of pride for all of the faithful in the Diocese of Allentown where he served so faithfully for so many years. I look forward to working with Archbishop Kurtz as he serves the conference in its important mission over the next three years."

Kurtz, who was appointed to the Louisville post by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, is a doctrinally conservative bishop who has been a strong voice on major issues for the American church, advocating for traditional marriage and against provisions in the Affordable Care Act that mandated insurance coverage of contraceptives.

A native of Mahanoy City in Schuylkill County's coal country, Kurtz served four parishes in his 27 years with the Diocese of Allentown. He was assistant pastor at Ss. Simon and Jude in Bethlehem and St. Joseph in Limeport before moving to pastor at St. Mary Parish in Catasauqua, a position he held from 1988-96. From 1996-99 he was pastor of Notre Dame of Bethlehem Parish.

He left Allentown in 1999 to become the bishop in Knoxville, Tenn., before his 2007 appointment to the Louisville post.

The Rev. William Seifert, pastor of St. Stephen of Hungary in Allentown, befriended Kurtz at seminary in 1973 and they have remained close.

"He's certainly not going to be exactly like Dolan," Seifert said, meaning Kurtz's comparatively low-key but engaging ways will be marked departure from the hearty, bigger-than-life persona that has made Dolan a go-to commentator on church affairs in the mainstream media.

Kurtz "has a robust sense of the social sciences and of real social justice issues," Seifert said, adding that the archbishop has always had a particular concern for the mentally challenged. Kurtz's late brother, George, had Down syndrome.

Kurtz will lead a conference that has devoted much of its energy in recent years to opposing elements of President Obama's Affordable Care Act, particularly provisions requiring employers to provide health care plans that cover contraception, a practice the church regards as sinful. The exceptions made for religious institutions have been insufficient, the bishops have contended.

The church has also led the opposition to same-sex marriage. Hawaii is poised to become the 17th state to recognize such unions.

Those are matters Seifert refers to as "land mines" for clerics treading the American political landscape.

"I don't know, frankly, if theres a way of avoiding the land mines," he said. "He certainly does not aim at them. But that doesnt mean he's not gutsy."

The archbishop will also have to deal with continuing fallout from the clergy sex abuse scandal that has plagued the church for more than a decade.

This may become particular challenge. Kurtz has been criticized by BishopAccountability.org, which advocates for transparency by the church in naming priests who have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct. The organization opposed Kurtz's candidacy because he has not joined two dozen other bishops in outing priests who have been accused.

While Kurtz will be the most visible face of the church in America, "electing Joe the president of the [USCCB] doesn't make him an American pope," Seifert said. "His job is to hold together a conference of multiple bishops and diocese to provide a real coherence in the teaching of the church...The bishops aren't accountable to Joe Kurtz. They 're accountable to Francis in Rome."