United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Aim
Promote the greater good which the Church offers humankind, especially through forms and programmes of the apostolate fittingly adapted to the circumstances of time and place.
History
In 1917 the bishops of the U.S. formed the National Catholic War Council to enable U.S. Catholics to contribute funds and commit personnel to provide spiritual care and recreation services to servicemen during World War I. In 1919 Pope Benedict XV urged the hierarchy to join him in working for peace and social justice. In response, the bishops organised the National Catholic Welfare Council in 1919 and set up the first Administrative Committee of seven members to handle the Council's business between plenary meetings. This model continued until 1966 when the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) were established. On July 1, 2001 the NCCB and the USCC were combined to form the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). USCCB continues all of the work formerly done by the NCCB and the USCC with the same staff. The bishops themselves form approximately 17 committees, each with its own particular responsibility.
IRD Activities
- Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue
The Bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs sponsors a number of dialogues with other Christian communions and members of other religions in the United States or North America. This is in keeping with the commitment of the Catholic Church to Ecumenical and Interreligious dialogue. Catholic dialogue participants are given the task to identify, in conversation with the dialogue partners, areas that may be fruitfully studied. They must then carry out an investigation of those topics in an endeavor to overcome divisions or misunderstandings. The Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs hopes that the texts produced as a result of these efforts will promote unity and understanding, and be useful to pastors, theologians, ecumenical/interfaith staff, and others of good will. Dialogue commissions often summarise their findings in reports or agreed statements that are then made public. Statements are for the consideration of the authorities and faithful of both of the dialogue partners
- Catholic-Jewish Dialogues
Over the last twenty-five years, USCCB has engaged in two official dialogues with the Jewish community. The dialogues continue to meet once or twice a year, and have addressed such topics as moral education in public schools, pornography, holocaust revisionism, the death penalty, religious hatred, children and the environment, and the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The USCCB's Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relations, which later merged into the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, has produced many documents in the development of Catholic-Jewish Relations in the United States.
Main Focus Countries of Activities
USA - USA