U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will select new president in November

The U.S. bishops gather in Baltimore, Md., on Nov. 12, 2024 for their plenary assembly. / Credit: Madalaine Elhabbal/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 15, 2025 / 11:48 am (CNA).

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will select a new president and vice president during its Fall Plenary Assembly, which is set for Nov. 10 to Nov. 13 in Baltimore, Maryland.

In November, the three-year terms for the current president, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, and vice president, Archbishop William E. Lori, are set to expire. The new conference leaders, who will be chosen from a slate of 10 candidates, will also serve three-year terms.

The following slate of candidates was selected through nominations from the bishops:

• Bishop Robert E. Barron, Diocese of Winona-Rochester

• Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City

• Bishop Daniel E. Flores, Diocese of Brownsville

• Archbishop Richard G. Henning, Archdiocese of Boston

• Bishop David J. Malloy, Diocese of Rockford

• Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez, Archdiocese of Philadelphia

• Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend

• Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon

• Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, Archdiocese of Indianapolis

• Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, Archdiocese of Detroit

According to a news release from the USCCB, both positions are selected by a majority vote of present voting members. If no bishop receives more than 50% of the vote, the bishops will hold a second vote. If there is still no bishop with a majority, the assembly will vote in a head-to-head race between the two bishops who received the most votes in the second round. 

The president is chosen first, and the vice president is chosen from the remaining nine candidates, according to the USCCB.

At the gathering, bishops will also select new chairmen for six committees: the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance; the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis; the Committee on International Justice and Peace; the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People; and the Committee on Religious Liberty. 

For those positions, the elected bishops will serve a single year as chairman-elect and then begin a three-year term at the end of the 2026 Fall Assembly.