Thread by @jdflynn

Hey everybody, the opening session of #USCCB21 is set to resume in just a minute.

Right now, kinda heavy jazz is playing in the youtube while we wait.

The meeting is about an hour behind schedule, which, for a meeting scheduled for 90 minutes, is kinda remarkable.

What happened? A virtual floor fight over a motion to allow in the agenda indefinite discussion of the "Eucharistic coherence" document, on the agenda for thursday.

Supporters of motion said that seeking consensus means it is important that every bishop be heard. Critics said it was a stall tactic or a "filibuster" of the Eucharistic coherence document.

Motion failed 59%-41%. Bps have told me they didn't think it would be that close.

Meeting is now resuming with a prerecorded presentation from Scott Voynich, chair of the National Advisory Council.

#USCCB21

Voynich on the work of NAC: "Virtual remote meetings lack fulfilling human interaction."

NAC is consulted on USCCB mtg agenda, and usually endorse requests for time on agenda from committees who want it. Part of the ordinary process of making the meeting schedule before admin sets it. Voynich says NAC endorsed the requests it got.

#USCCB21

NAC also makes its own resolutions, urging the USCCB to do various things. Voynich says NAC endorsed a resolution expressing concern about division among bishops and Catholic media. "Members desperately looking for clarity and consistency of the Catholic faith."

#USCCB21

Second NAC resolution calls for USCCB to give guidelines for bishops and religious superiors to assess the quality of seminaries, and to find good matches for individual seminarians. National resource would be of great value and provide transparency, Voynich says.

Third NAC resolution calls for study and analysis of best practices in parish recovery from pandemic.

#USCCB21

Voynich: NAC members support efforts to instill believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Some members thought Eucharistic Revival plan should be stronger. Others wanted to be sure it wouldn't be burdensome to priests. NAC made various concrete reccs.

#USCCB21

Voynich: NAC members "hopeful but urgent." Some members believe Eucharistic Revival project is the Church's "one shot" to stem "tide of unbelief."

#USCCB21

Voynich: We support you and we're praying for you.

Voynich will now take questions.

There are no questions for Mr. Voynich or the National Advisory Council

#USCCB21

Next up at #USCCB21, a presentation on three items being retranslated by ICEL.

Related to the Liturgy of the Hours, but also related to Marian liturgical propers and a newly translated Rite of Penance.

This is just a presentation, not a debate or a vote.

Archbishop Blair, chair of committee on divine worship, will present the items.

First, presentation on the BVM.

#USCCB21

+Blair:
In 2018, the pope inscribed the celebration of the BVM, Mother of the Church, in the universal calendar -- the Monday after Pentecost.

Mass texts were already approved, vote concerns texts for Liturgy of the Hours and martyrology.

#USCCB21

+Blair: Approval of this text will require 2/3 of the Latin Church members of the conference, plus confirmatio by the Vatican's CDWDS.

Floor open for discussion or questions.

There are none.

+Blair will now present ICEL translation of "Liturgy of the Hours: Additional Intercessions and Psalter
Concluding Prayers"

+Blair: we continue to make steady progress on Liturgy of the Hours. "We're hopeful for a published edition, published and ready for use by 2025." 🤔

Best- case scenario has previously been floated as 2024. Read about that, and read more background, here:

pillarcatholic.com/p/youre-gonna-…

Approval will require 2/3 of Latin bishops and confirmatio by the Vatican's CDWDS.

Floor now open for discussion or questions on this LOTH translation pack, one of many in process right now.

#USCCB21

There do not seem to be any questions on the Liturgy of the Hours translation set, which will be voted upon tomorrow.

+Blair will now present an ICEL translation of "Order of Penance."

(NB-- I haven't seen this yet. It might be in my inbox, but I haven't read it yet.)

+Blair-- most of the time, the book is not needed for the celebration of penance. We know the rite, and the faithful usually do too. But there is a ritual book, and we're retranslating it. It is not a radical departure from the current text, but it is more precise.

+Blair- publication of the new ritual text could be an opportunity for catechesis on the sacrament of penance.

Approval will require 2/3 of Latin bishops and confirmatio by the Vatican's CDWDS.

Floor now open for discussion or questions on this new Order of Penance translation.

#USCCB21

+Paprocki: The footnotes in the introduction are very helpful. Will they be contained in the published edition? Also, appendix 3 - an examination of conscience - is very good. Can that be printed for use by laity?

#USCCB21

+Blair: I think so. Let's see if Fr. Menke (head of USCCB worship office) can confirm.

Menke: Yes, the footnotes will probably be in, unless they're just notes for you about the translation. Cards with the examination of conscience could be printed.

+DiNardo: Was ICEL able to do, perhaps "a little less formality?" Would, for example, the examination of conscience have been translated in the same way as liturgical texts, "or would it have allowed a bit more freedom?"

+DiNardo is asking if the examination of conscience will have a dynamic translation.

+Blair says principles are uniform.

+Estevez-- what if priests use the current text of absolution from memory? Does it create a sacramental validity issue?

Menke: There are very small changes to the formula of absolution, but it is mostly unchanged, and if a priest used the old one, validity would not be impacted.

+Cordileone (chair of LMFLY, the committee on laity, family life, and youth, will now present "Called to the Joy of Love," a pastoral framework for marriage and family ministry that draws from the 2015 Amoris laetitia.

#USCCB21

This text has already been drafted, and will be debated and voted upon on Thursday. +Cordileone is explaining how the text was written: several years of committee review and consultation with leaders in family life and marriage ministry.

#USCCB21

+Cordileone: vote has been delayed by pandemic, so it is important to proceed.

+Cordileone: document is highly practical. reviews reality for families today. Purpose of framework -- adaptable set of principles and strategies -- is to assist dioceses and eparchies in ministry. primary audience is bishops and pastoral care leaders.

#USCCB21

The framework is divided into 4 parts. (that's one more than Gaul, if you're keeping score at home.)

The document calls those four parts "pillars"--

Prayer, formation, accompaniment, and advocacy.

Each "Pillar" has three "areas of attention."

Educate, Encourage, and Engage.

#USCCB21

There is also an implementation plan for the pastoral framework.

As I've mentioned before, this kind of framework is generally used as the text for continuing eds or other educational opportunities for priests, lay ministers, etc.

These frameworks tend also to be the determining source for deciding which ministry buzzwords are en vogue.

(sorry, I wasn't supposed to say that last part out loud.)

There will now be discussion. Except I can't tell if my airbuds died or +Gomez is muted.

+Gomez seems to be muted. The joy of a virtual meeting.

We are now standing by for technical difficulties.

#USCCB21

As the folk singer Dar Williams puts it:

"Are you out there, can you hear this?
Jimmy Olson, Johnny Memphis,
I was out here listening all the time"

This is kinda like a rain delay for the 21st century.

We're BACK, BABY

This is a deeply disturbing gif. Please forgive me.

The floor is now open for discussion on "Called to the Joy of Love," a pastoral framework on marriage and family ministry.

+Cupich:
3 themes at the synod on the family were "encounter, accompaniment, and integration."

Were those considered as a way to structure this document.

+Cupich:

There is no reference at all to Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia, in which the pope addresses "quite creatively" to how we can integrate people in irregular marriages. Why is there "not even a footnote" to the the material in Chapter 8?

+Cordileone: We drew quite heavily from Chapter 8.

(what this is about is that the document does not seem to address the famously controversial footnote 351 of Amoris, which allows for the possibility that divorced and remarried couples might receive the Eucharist.)

+Gomez- ok. We will have further discussion on all of this tomorrow. We are almost done for the day.

Msgr Burril now explaining to the bishops how to submit amendment proposals to the documents under consideration.

+Gomez -- thanks everyone for your participation and your patience. I think we came to "a good resolution for all of us."

Vigneron will now pray, and then we'll adjourn.

Well, the prayer was buffering, and now we have technical difficulties again. But I think they're calling it a day. Thanks for staying with me. I'm headed to the press conference.