U.S. Catholic bishops grapple with adapting their agenda to Pope Francis’ priorities

c. 2014 Religion News Service

BALTIMORE (RNS) With a controversial Vatican summit on family life just concluded and a papal visit to the U.S. expected in less than a year, the nation’s Catholic bishops on Monday (November 10) began taking steps to adapt their agenda to the priorities Pope Francis set out—an emphasis on social justice and on creating a more welcoming church.

That change in focus has unsettled a number of American bishops who have been used to a hierarchy oriented more toward hot-button culture war issues like fighting abortion, gay marriage and the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.