A lively and intense debate over a 700-page translation of part of the Roman Missal dominated the public sessions of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' spring general assembly in Orlando June 12-14, but the bishops failed to come to a conclusion about the fate of the liturgical text. With much less discussion, they approved a 2,000-word policy statement calling embryonic stem-cell research "gravely immoral"; directed their Committee on Doctrine to begin revising guidelines for Catholic health care institutions on medically assisted nutrition and hydration; designated Sept. 26, 2010, as National Catholic Charities Sunday; and voted to replace the more formal "vosotros" with the more familiar "ustedes" in Spanish-language Masses in the U.S.
The bishops gathered in Orlando also heard an interim report from researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice on the causes and context of child sexual abuse by priests and began a confidential dialogue with representatives of half of the nation's priests on issues that arose during and after the sex abuse scandal.
The liturgical document under consideration was a translation of the proper prayers for Sundays and feast days. The second of 12 sections of the Roman Missal translation project, it had been in the works for more than two years.
But after more than a dozen bishops rose to speak against the translation, it failed to reach the needed approval of two-thirds of the 250 Latin-rite members of the conference.
Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, USCCB president, did not announce the vote totals but said the document had not obtained the 166 "yes" votes needed to approve it or the 83 "no" votes that would have resulted in its rejection.
USCCB members not present at the spring general assembly in Orlando will vote by mail on the issue.
Many bishops expressed frustration that the translation by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy ignored recommendations they had submitted to clarify the sentence structure or revise archaic language, including the use of words such as "gibbet," "wrought" and "ineffable."
"John and Mary Catholic have the right to have prayers that are clear and understandable," said Bishop Donald W. Trautman of Erie, Pa.
The stem-cell document had a much easier path, with few amendments, little debate and a 191-1 vote of approval. It is designed to set the stage for a later, more pastoral document explaining why the Catholic Church opposes some reproductive technologies.
"Even our opponents admit that ours is one of the most effective voices against destroying human embryos for stem-cell research," said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., who introduced the document.
"The issue of stem-cell research does not force us to choose between science and ethics, much less between science and religion," the document says. "It presents a choice as to how our society will pursue scientific and medical progress."
In response to a question, Archbishop Naumann said the document did not address the topic of the adoption of so-called "spare embryos" that would otherwise be destroyed when not needed for in vitro fertilization.
Reporting on the causes and context study, which is expected to be completed by December 2010, researcher Karen Terry said she and her colleagues at John Jay in New York have found some correlations between the frequency of child sex abuse by priests and the increase or decline in societal patterns of divorce, premarital sex and illegal drug use.
It remains to be seen, however, whether the various phenomena are "shaped by the same social factors," Terry said.
The Orlando meeting also marked the first of two scheduled meetings between the bishops' Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People and representatives of the nation's priests to discuss how the clergy sex abuse scandal has affected the bond between bishops and their priests.
"Some felt guilty by association," while others felt their fellow priests who were accused of wrongdoing were not treated fairly or with pastoral concern, Bishop Gregory M. Aymond of Austin, Texas, told Catholic News Service after the closed-door listening session June 12. The second session is to take place in November in Baltimore.
Bishop Aymond is chairman of the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.
In a voice vote June 12, the bishops gave permission for the doctrine committee to begin revising the "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" to reflect recent church documents on medically assisted nutrition and hydration.
In another voice vote they designated National Catholic Charities Sunday in 2010 to mark the 100th anniversary of the network of Catholic charitable agencies.
Bishop Michael P. Driscoll of Boise, Idaho, episcopal liaison to Catholic Charities USA, said each diocese will be encouraged to hold its own observance of the 100th anniversary and all Catholics will be urged "to publicly affirm that they will take positive steps to reduce poverty."
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