Kentucky Archbishop Chosen to Lead U.S. Bishops

BALTIMORE (MD)
New York Times

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: November 12, 2013

BALTIMORE — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday elected Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., a prelate who has earned a reputation as a consensus-seeker, president of their conference on the first ballot.
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Archbishop Kurtz, who served as vice president the last three years, will succeed Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who finishes his three-year term at the conclusion of the bishops’ meeting this week.

In a closely watched decision, the bishops elected Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as vice president from a slate of 10 candidates. In the runoff vote, they passed over Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, a razor-sharp writer who often weighs in on politics from a markedly conservative point of view.

The bishops customarily elevate their vice president to president, so the election for this post often determines their leadership for years to come. Among the other candidates defeated for vice president were Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who has led the bishops’ religious liberty campaign to fend off what they see as serious threats to religious freedom, and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, an immigrant from Mexico and an outspoken advocate for immigration reform.

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