The U.S. bishops need to revise—or replace— "Faithful Citizenship" in order to better reflect the teaching of Pope Francis and to respond to the authoritarian populist nationalism of Donald Trump and his administration.
The bishops of Virginia's two Catholic dioceses said in a joint statement Oct. 24 that they wanted to assure Catholics in the state and the public "we are cooperating with the attorney general's office."
The Vatican said only that Francis had "relieved (Holley) from the pastoral governance" of the diocese and named Louisville Archbishop Joseph Kurtz to replace him temporarily.
The proposed statement, "Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love -- A Pastoral Letter Against Racism," will be considered for approval during the bishops' Nov. 12-14 fall general meeting in Baltimore.
The firestorm surrounding the clergy sex abuse crisis and the way some bishops handled allegations of abuse against priests will be an important part of the agenda of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' fall general assembly.