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Gulf Pine Catholic • November 26, 2021 10 The gatherings have taken place online in the midst of a pandemic, under “social unrest, racial reckoning, and the polarization affecting U.S. society,” he said. The process created “an opportunity for bishops, young adults, youth ministers and campus ministers, and lead- ers of various other ministries with young people, to engage in respectful yet honest dialogue in matters of faith, culture, racism, inclusion and the issues that affect them as young people,” he explained. The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth called on his fellow bishops to work “in every way possible” to implement the national pastoral framework for mar- riage and family ministry that they approved in June. Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco said that addressing marriage and family life is vital in a time when families are under increasing threats from “sweeping ideological currents that destroy and under- mine our sexual identity as man and woman and God- given vocations as father and mother, son or daughter.” Bolstering marriage and family ministry is an appropri- ate undertaking to start during the “Amoris Laetitia Family Year,” declared by Pope Francis, the archbishop said. Titled “Called to the Joy of Love: A Pastoral Framework for Marriage and Family Life Ministry,” the document can serve as a practical guidebook to serve couples and families because it offers an adapt- able set of principles and strategies for pastoral care, he said. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Pro- Life Activities, told his fellow bishops that the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities’ “Walking with Moms in Need” initiative may have been slowed by the coro- navirus pandemic, but it has by no means stopped help- ing expectant mothers from any walk of life. It was launched March 25, 2020, just as the pandemic began to take hold. This initiative “has the capacity to take what is often seen as a partisan divide and transform it into pastoral unity, bridging the divide between Catholics who describe themselves using the labels of ‘pro-life’ or ‘social justice,’” he said. “The vision of WWMIN is that a pregnant or parenting mother in need can turn to any local Catholic parish and be connected with the life- affirming assistance and accompaniment that she needs.” The initiative’s website is WalkingWithMoms.com. In presentations at end of the Nov. 17 public ses- sion: -- Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, told the bishops 3 million to 11 million people in the U.S. could soon benefit from some type of immigration reform. -- Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the USCCB’s migration com- mittee, asked his fellow prelates to advocate, pray and walk with immigrants in their respective dioceses. -- From Haiti to Afghanistan, the work of Catholic Relief Services has focused on responding to the impact of climate change, natural disasters such as earthquakes, hunger, meager farm production and developing education for children, reported Bishop Frank J. Caggiano of Bridgeport, Connecticut, presi- dent of the CRS board of directors. He gave the presen- tation with Sean Callahan, CRS president and CEO. -- Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, told the bishops the national network of Catholic Charities agencies had provided $5.1 billion in assistance in the last year, much of it connected to the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. -- The synodal process the church is entering into is meant to show that “no one is unimportant in this time of listening,” said Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas. The bishop, a member of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine and voted its chair- man-elect during the assembly, said the process over the next seven months must involve the participation of the whole church “listening together, praying together, discerning together.” At sunrise Nov. 18 outside the hotel where the bish- ops held their assembly, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, Boston Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley and six other Catholic prelates joined survivors of sex abuse, some the victims of clergy in an invitation-only walk to pray for an end to the “evil” of abuse and call for a day of prayer for survivors and an end to the abuse. Contributing to this story were Carol Zimmermann, Dennis Sadowski, Rhina Guidos and Mark Pattison. Bishops Roundup From page 1 Communion statement aims to ‘retrieve and revive’ understanding BY CAROL ZIMMERMANN Catholic News Service BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops approved their statement on the Eucharist with 222 “yes” votes Nov. 17, the second of two days of pub- lic sessions during their Nov. 15-18 fall general assembly. Their OK came a day after their discussion of the document -- a discussion that took a drastically dif- ferent tone than their previous debate about what the document could potentially contain during their virtual assembly five months ago. At that June gathering, a major focus highlighted whether it would address denying Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion. Some bishops said a strong rebuke of President Joe Biden, the nation’s second Catholic president, should be included in it because of Biden’s recent actions protecting and expanding abortion access, while others warned that this would portray the bish- ops as a partisan force during a time of bitter politi- cal divisions across the country. Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, speaks during a Nov. 17, session of the bishops’ fall general assembly in Baltimore. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is the first in-person bishops’ meeting since 2019. CNS photo/ Bob Roller The document the bishops discussed and approved does not specifically call out Catholic political leaders, but it does more generally point out the seriousness of the sacrament. The discussion, just prior to the vote, focused on some of the statement’s wording. Specific amend- ments were approved and additional comments about wording changes, that were raised on the floor, did not. One of the bishops, for example, wanted to add the word “etcetera” after a list of vulnerable people the church was responsible for in order to show its broad inclusion, but the bishops, who had already added to the list to include the unborn, chose not to add the additional descriptor. As points of discussion, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, outgoing chair- man of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee, stressed the prelates must not forget the responsibility they have to “take care of the souls” of Catholic politi- cians who do not publicly support church teaching on abortion. SEE BISHOPS EUCHARIST, PAGE 17