Bp. Francis Kalabat met with fellow bishops for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) 2019 Spring General Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland, from June 11-14.
During the assembly, the bishops gathered to discuss and vote on accountability measures to respond to the abuse crisis and heard reports from the National Advisory Council and National Review Board.
The bishops also discussed and voted on the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons in the United States (2nd edition); and on the final approval of revisions made to the second typical edition of the ICEL Gray Book of the Ordination of a Bishop, of Priests, and of Deacons, among other items.
Below are links to items accomplished during the general assembly:
- Bishops Vote in Favor of Three Additional Bishop Accountability Measures
- Bishops Approve the Revised Passage on the Death Penalty for the U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults
- Bishops’ Vote in Favor of Moving Forward on Third-party System for Reporting Abuse Allegations Against Bishops
- Catholic Bishops Approve in a Provisional Vote Strategic Priorities for the 2021-24 USCCB Strategic Plan. Bishops Also Approve the National Directory for the Formation, Ministry, and Life of Permanent Deacons
- Bishops Conduct Canonical Consultation on Cause for Canonization of the Servant of God Irving (A.K.A., Francis) C. Houle
The USCCB has also launched a new website highlighting the importance of prevention, protection, and accountability in response to the ongoing effort to eradicate clergy sexual abuse. This new site serves as a resource detailing the steps the American bishops are taking to confront this crisis.
On the site, Readers can browse through the layers of the Holy Father’s Motu Proprio, the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and its progress, as well as the new reforms discussed in Baltimore. There are also numerous readily available resources to address any instance of clergy sexual abuse. Explore the website by visiting: usccbprevention.org.
The following 2019 Spring General Assembly Q&A addresses some basic questions related to the efforts of the bishops, including past efforts, the Motu Proprio, and the specific actions taken at the June meeting.
Our eparchy remains committed to providing outreach to any person who has been a victim of sexual abuse, currently or in the past, and to cooperate with civil authorities and be transparent if such allegations come forth. To inform the public of our ongoing efforts to protect all those in our care and allow anyone to submit reports of abuse more easily, we have created a web page at chaldeanchurch.org/protect.