USCCB President: Living the virtues, listening and dialogue are vital to church, society

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrapped up its fall plenary assembly’s final public session Nov. 13 in Baltimore, in which the bishops discussed topics ranging from the recent election, to synodality, to care for the environment, to life issues, including abortion and immigration. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the conference’s president and head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, sat down with OSV News that morning, ahead of the public session, to discuss some of these topics and more.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

OSV News: In your opening address, you mentioned that now is the time for working together, leaning on the virtues as “good teachers.” In what ways do you think Catholics can be bolder and more effective at instilling authentic values and virtues into our fractured society?

Archbishop Broglio: Well, I think, always, the first thing is by living them ourselves. That’s always the most effective catalyst for change for any sort of virtue in society. And then, secondly, you know, we have to be active in presenting Christian and human virtues as a way forward. I think so often society seems to present itself as some sort of an ironclad structure in which you can only move as far as you’re allowed. And that’s certainly not the example that the saints give us. We’re talking here on the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who was incredible — this 4-foot-3 Italian who really responded to concrete needs and situations in a historic situation. But I think that same kind of spunk, not being afraid of who we are, is valuable today as well.

OSV News: In the last few years, you’ve had fraternal dialogues in the conference and increased opportunities for executive sessions. In your opinion, how do those additions to the way that the plenaries operate shape discourse both privately and publicly?

Archbishop Broglio: I think a couple of things. Both executive sessions of the fraternal dialogues — fraternal dialogues being particularly appropriate because it’s a much smaller group, which obviously makes interaction much easier, same would be true for the regional meetings — they give an opportunity for a discourse that’s free. And I think that’s a good thing.

I think they also allow us to brainstorm more than we would in a public setting, because in a public setting sometimes you have people say, ‘Well, you know, you suggested this and then it didn’t happen,’ or something like that. I think that helps. Things are, then, more subtle when we come to the public sessions. I think that makes them much more harmonious.

I would also point out that we are one of the few episcopal conferences in the world that actually have public sessions. Most people don’t know that. I was talking to the French bishops at the synod (in Rome in October), and their mouths dropped when I said that our sessions are public. You know, they couldn’t believe it. I don’t think they could imagine that. I served in four different countries and none of them had public sessions either. If you have an opening session, that would be public and very formal, and then the real work would happen behind closed doors. We’re not changing that, but I think it’s something to keep in mind — that there is a possibility to work where there’s a free exchange without worrying about how that’s perceived.

OSV News: After the June meeting, we saw some leaks come out of the executive session. How does the conference find a balance between allowing bishops this space to dialogue and facilitate communion within the body, but at the same time ensure that these private discussions are free from manipulation and the public arena through such leaks?

Archbishop Broglio: I think there, you know, you depend on the word of successors of the apostles and gentlemen, that the confidences will be respected. We don’t do what would happen in the military setting if you were at a conference, which is … you have to leave your cell phone at the door.

We’re not going to go to those extremes. But I think we do depend on the commitment of the bishops who agree to what executive session entails.

OSV News: When that’s violated, how do you think that that affects the body of bishops?

Archbishop Broglio: I think it makes people wonder if they can speak freely in executive session. That would be my fear.

OSV News: Donald Trump has been elected to a second term. How do you think the bishops plan to work with this new administration, and what do you see as most important to communicate right now to the president-elect and the team he’s building?

Archbishop Broglio: I think, first and foremost, we have to communicate our willingness to work for the common good. And, you know, we are not aligned with any party. We are basically a body of believers who follow Jesus Christ and seek his truth and try to proclaim his truth to the whole world. So, I think, fundamental in our concerns is always the dignity of the human person. And I think that would certainly be the first thing that I would talk about, if I had an opportunity to speak with the president-elect.

And that, you know, really covers most things. It covers the right to life. It covers natural death. It covers the situation of the immigrant. It covers our concern for the poor. It covers our desire to facilitate education. It covers our concern for getting religious workers into this country who can help us. It covers also our desire for peace. It would even cover our concern for our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land and in Ukraine and everywhere else. I think that’s the fundamental principle.

And I would be the first to admit that there are different ways to respond to that fundamental principle; but that it has to be uppermost in people’s minds, I think that’s something we as a body would insist on. And I think that’s always the hope, with any incoming administration, is that we can be valid interlocutors, and that we can hope to work together. And, of course, that also means that there will be times when we have to be critical.

But I hope we would always do that in a respectful way and in a constructive way. When I was a Vatican diplomat, I used to tell groups that the important thing is to find a way to get the message through. And I love the example of the prophet Nathan, when he has to go tell the king (David) that he’s a murderer and an adulterer. But he finds a way. He finds a way that he doesn’t get his head cut off, you know?

OSV News: JD Vance, the vice president-elect, is not shy about his Catholic faith. What do you think are the opportunities and challenges that might be presented with a Catholic vice president who has sometimes voiced differing opinions from what the church teaches?

Archbishop Broglio: Well, we just had the experience, obviously, with a self-identified Catholic president who was not very helpful on the issues that are important to us. The church tries to announce truth. And from the time of Jesus Christ, we’ve had political figures ask what truth is. So I think we have to continue to try and define that.

Again, that doesn’t change the fact that an individual might have his or her own views of certain situations or certain things. But that cannot prevent us from, if we are faithful to the Gospel and to preaching the Gospel, you know, (finding) some way to talk to the new vice president directly about why we believe what we believe. I’m sure any one of us would be happy to do that.

OSV News: You spent this October and last October in Rome as a delegate at the Synod on Synodality. What do you think the U.S. church has to learn from the synod? And what help do you think it can offer to the universal church to work toward a synodal path?

Archbishop Broglio: I think one of the things we definitely have to learn is to listen, to listen to each other. I think of the nuncio’s analogy, from Heidegger, of the heart, that’s priceless because I think sometimes in the way our society is now, too, you know, everyone listens to people they want to listen to and doesn’t listen to people that don’t agree with them. And so I think we have to teach this ability to listen.

One of the things we can teach the rest of the world is that consultative bodies and organizations do work. That was something that struck me, that in a lot of places, things like parish councils and finance councils just don’t exist. So, I think we can show people that they do exist. And they’re actually a help.

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