Congratulations to Francis Cardinal George and Bishop Gerald Kicanas, the newly elected president and vice-president of the USCCB. They are both on the list of the “really good guys” in the Church, so their elections are a cause of joy.
While Cardinal George’s election was all but a formality, given the tradition of electing the vice-president at the conclusion of the standing president’s term, the election of Bishop Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona was somewhat less of a given coming in to the Plenary. You may remember the Bishop as the one who instructed Bishop Gumbleton not to give his lecture to a meeting of Call to Action, which earned him a “Bishops with Backbone” award across a good chunk of St. Blog’s. Someone should really make that a real award – a spine with a mitre given for acts of great episcopal courage. The Bishop is also the author of the Diocese of Tucson’s “Monday Minute” where he offers his reflections for his flock. Next stop, perhaps a blog?
And while we’re at it, a hearty congratulations to semi-local Sean Cardinal O’Malley, elected chairman of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. We always like to see a local boy make good.
