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32

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How to Cover the Catholic Church

tions on issues ranging from capital punishment to the war in Iraq, from the

environment to AIDS, from the human dimensions of economic globalization

to immigration, from human trafficking to health care, housing and minimum

wage issues.

(A transitional note: In the spring of 2008, the Secretariat for Social

Development and World Peace had been renamed the Department of Justice,

Peace and Human Development, but most USCCB Web links had not caught up

yet with the most recent structural name changes. Be prepared in 2008-2009

still to find old names or old-name links on the Web site for departments or pro-

grams that have been renamed.)

USCCB OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES

In its 2005-2007 reorganization, the USCCB reduced its number of commit-

tees significantly and committed itself to a more focused national policy and

program agenda. The result has been far fewer committees and a major reduc-

tion in staffing at the USCCB national offices in Washington. By the time

this booklet went to press, most but not all of the changes had taken effect.

For that reason the following list is still somewhat provisional, but it reflects

nearly all of the changes made in the reorganization.

The four

executive officers

—president, vice president, secretary and

treasurer—serve three-year terms. In November 2013 Archbishop Joseph G.

Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., was elected conference president, and Cardinal Daniel

N. DiNardo of Houston, Tx., was elected vice president. Historically, in most

presidential elections the outgoing vice president has been elected president.

For most news purposes, the most important committees of the USCCB

are its programmatic committees (and related subcommittees). These follow

alphabetically, with their relevant staff offices.

Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance

This committee deals with adaptations of general church law to the U.S.

context and with various other legal issues related to general church law as

applied to the United States. Staff officer is Msgr. Ronny Jenkins, one of the

associate general secretaries.

Committee on Catholic Education

The committee deals with public policy questions of vouchers, tuition credits

or other tax breaks for families with children in private Catholic schools, and a