Nation/World

U.S. Catholic bishops acknowledged that Catholic families and married couples need more support from the church at large and hope to offer it by giving parishes plenty of resources through a pastoral plan for marriage and family life.

Archbishop Vigneron will succeed New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, who is starting his third and final year of his three-year term.

About 4,000 poor people are expected to join the pope for Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica followed by lunch Nov. 19, which Pope Francis had designated as the World Day of the Poor.

Acknowledging wide divisions in the country over issues such as health care, immigration reform, taxes and abortion, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for civility to return to the public debate.

In his remarks Nov. 13, the first day of the USCCB meeting, Cardinal Dolan lauded the bishops’ longtime collaboration with the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment.

Bishop George V. Murry, speaking to bishops gathered Nov. 13 for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops fall gathering in Baltimore, said that while racism was not unique to the United States, it “lives in a particular and pernicious way in our country, in large part because of the experience of the historic evil of slavery.”

There is a growing awareness of the challenges young people face today with economics, anxiety and drug and alcohol abuse Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, said Nov. 13 and they are often at transition points in their lives, yet they don’t know where to go for mentorship.

Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin, Texas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, told his fellow bishops Nov. 13 that more than 100 U.S. dioceses have participated in the “Share the Journey” campaign launched by Pope Francis Sept. 27.