Bishops elect treasurer, doctrine committee chairman

Published: 2005-06-20

CHICAGO (CNS) -- The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Bishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Duluth, Minn., June 17 as USCCB treasurer. At their June 16-18 meeting in Chicago the bishops also elected Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., as chairman of the Committee on Doctrine until November 2006. The bishops ordinarily elect officers and committee chairmen in November, but the post of treasurer became vacant in January with the retirement of Archbishop James P. Keleher of Kansas City, Kan. Bishop Schnurr was elected treasurer-elect last November, giving him a three-year term as treasurer beginning this coming November. He had been serving as interim treasurer since January by appointment from the USCCB president, Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash. The doctrinal chairmanship became vacant because Archbishop William J. Levada of San Francisco, chairman for the past year and a half, resigned after Pope Benedict XVI named him prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. When he takes up that new post later this summer, Archbishop Levada will no longer be a member of the USCCB and therefore will be ineligible to hold any conference office. Bishop Serratelli was elected to fill out the remainder of Archbishop Levada's term by a vote of 141-93 over the other candidate, Bishop Leonard P. Blair of Toledo, Ohio.

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