Bishop Skylstad elected president of U.S. bishops' conference

Published: 2004-11-15

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 15 elected Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., as USCCB president for the next three years. At the end of the bishops' Nov. 15-18 meeting in Washington, he succeeds Bishop Wilton D. Gregory of Belleville, Ill., who over the past three years guided the country's bishops through the crisis of clergy sexual abuse of minors, widely regarded as the worst crisis facing the U.S. Catholic Church in its history. Bishop Skylstad, 70, was vice president of the bishops' conference under Bishop Gregory. He was elected from among 10 presidential nominees on the first ballot, receiving 120 votes out of 232 cast. Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago was elected vice president of the conference. Under conference rules, the remaining nine presidential candidates run for vice president; the cardinal was elected on the third ballot with 118 votes out of 230 cast.

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