Bishops Approve Physician Assisted Suicide Statement, Spanish Liturgical Items, Revised Charter for Protection of Children

BELLEVUE, Wash.—The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted to approve several of the agenda items at their Spring General Assembly in Bellevue, Washington, including a statement on physician assisted suicide, the Spanish translation of the USA Propers and Adaptations to the Roman Missal, and a ten-year review of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

The bishops overwhelmingly approved the issuance of To Live Each Day with Dignity: A Statement on Physician Assisted Suicide with 191 votes in favor, 1 against and no abstentions.
The Spanish translation of the USA Propers and Adaptations to the Missale Romanum, Third Edition, received the favorable vote of 185 members, with no votes against and only 1 abstention.

On their final vote of the public session, the bishops also voted to approve the revised Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People with 187 votes in favor, 5 against and 4 abstentions.

On Wednesday, the bishops also voted to approve the inclusion of a set of liturgical prayers called Mass Texts for Principal Patronal Feastdays of Spanish-speaking Countries as an appendix to the Spanish translation of the news Roman Missal for use in the dioceses of the United States. The vote passed with 185 members voting in favor. They also authorized the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations to draft a document on preaching.

At the end of Thursday’s session, Monsignor David Malloy also bid farewell to the bishops in his capacity as USCCB’s General Secretary. He will now return to serve in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, his home diocese. He will be succeeded by Monsignor Ronny Jenkins, up until now Assistant General Secretary.