U.S. Bishops to Meet Virtually June 16-18; Assembly to Be Livestreamed and Live-Tweeted

June 8, 2021

WASHINGTON—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather virtually for the 2021 Spring General Assembly on June 16-18. Earlier this year, the bishop-members of the USCCB voted to approve the convocation of this year’s June meeting in a virtual format in light of the challenges posed to meeting in person with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The assembly will begin with an address by the papal nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. The plenary will also hear from Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles as he addresses the assembly as USCCB president.

The items on the agenda of the meeting include votes on nine action items:

• Causes for canonization for Servant of God Joseph Verbis Lefleur, and Servant of God Marinus (Leonard) LaRue
• The approval of three translations by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) for use in the dioceses of the United States
• A National Pastoral Framework for Marriage and Family Life Ministry in the United States: Called to the Joy of Love
• The development of a new formal statement and comprehensive vision for Native American / Alaska Native Ministry
• The approval of the drafting of a formal statement on the meaning of the Eucharist in the life of the Church
• The approval of the drafting of a national pastoral framework for youth and young adults

During the meeting, the bishops will hear a report from the National Review Board which advises the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and the USCCB on matters of child and youth protection, specifically on policies and practices. Also, on the agenda: an update from the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis on the Eucharistic Revival initiative; an update from the Subcommittee for Pastoral Care for Immigrants, Refugees and Travelers on a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA); and an update on the work of the Subcommittee on the Catechism.

The livestream of the public sessions of the general assembly, the votes (and tallies) of the action items, news updates, texts of addresses and presentations, and other materials will be available at www.usccb.org/meetings.

Those wishing to follow the meeting on social media are invited to use the hashtag #USCCB21 and follow on Twitter (@USCCB) as well as on Facebook (www.facebook.com/usccb) and Instagram (https://instagram.com/usccb).

The livestream of the bishops’ meeting will be broadcast on the USCCB website:

•  Wednesday, June 16 (2:30-4:00 PM EDT)
• Thursday, June 17 (1:00-4:00 PM EDT)
• Friday, June 18 (1:00-2:30 PM EDT).