October 28, 2025 // Bishop

Migration, AI, Elections on Agenda for U.S. Bishops’ Fall Plenary Assembly

OSV NEWS

(OSV News) – At their upcoming fall meeting, the nation’s Catholic bishops have a full agenda of both temporal and spiritual matters – including votes for key leadership roles as well as discussions on migration, health care directives, artificial intelligence, Eucharistic devotion, and liturgical texts.

On Wednesday, October 22, officials with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced details regarding its 2025 fall plenary assembly, which will take place in Baltimore from Monday, November 10, through Thursday, November 13.

Public portions of the assembly will be livestreamed on November 11 and 12 at usccb.org/meetings. Private executive and fraternal dialogue sessions, informational breakouts, prayer, and daily liturgies will round out the schedule.

Beginning the plenary will be Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who will complete his three-year term as USCCB president upon the assembly’s conclusion.

The USCCB will vote for a new president and vice president, who will commence their three-year terms on November 13, along with chairmen for six USCCB committees.

The president and vice president are elected from a slate of 10 candidates who have been nominated by their fellow bishops. Bishop Rhoades is among the candidates for consideration. The other candidates (in alphabetical order) are: Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota; Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City; Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas; Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston; Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, Illinois; Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia; Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland, Oregon; Archbishop Charles C. Thompson of Indianapolis; and Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Detroit.

During the meeting, the bishops will also vote for new chairmen-elect of six USCCB standing committees: Canonical Affairs and Church Governance; Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs; Evangelization and Catechesis; International Justice and Peace; Protection of Children and Young People; and Religious Liberty, which Bishop Rhoades currently chairs.

Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., and retired Bishop Paul S. Loverde of Arlington, Va., chat during a break at a Nov. 12, 2024, session of the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

USCCB officials said that the public session will feature “discussion and response to the evolving situation impacting migrants and refugees.”

Artificial intelligence will also be discussed, with a public session presentation set to take place on “the ethical implications of AI, its growing impact on society, and the opportunities and challenges it presents to the life of the Church.”

The bishops will also discuss and vote on a revised text of the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services,” which guides Catholic health care facilities in the United States.

Other items to be considered during the public sessions include a vote on the USCCB’s 2026 budget and a vote to consecrate the U.S. to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 12, 2026, as the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The bishops will also vote on scheduling the next National Eucharistic Congress during the summer of 2029.

Two action items regarding liturgical texts from the USCCB’s Committee on Divine Worship will be discussed and voted upon. The bishops will also receive updates from the USCCB Subcommittee on the Catechism on the Catechetical Accompaniment Process, and from both The Catholic University of America and the Pontifical Mission Societies USA.