Baltimore:

Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley was elected Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. During their annual Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, the US Bishops voted for the secretary and the chairmen for six standing committees. He is also elected as the chairman of the Committee on Priorities and Plans. By a vote of 187 to 55, he ousted Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland in Oregon.

Archbishop Coakley is currently holding the position of Conference Secretary when he was selected last year to complete the term left vacant by Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the US Archdiocese for the Military Services, the then secretary, was elected to a three-year term as conference president. With this election, his term as Conference secretary will begin at the adjournment of the 2024 fall general assembly and runs through November 2027.

The names of the committees and the Bishop elects are as follows. Bishop David O'Connell of Trenton won over Bishop James Conley of Lincoln by a vote of 144 to 101 to become the new chairman-elect of the Committee for Catholic Education.

Bishop William Byrne of the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, was elected as the new chairman-elect of the Committee on Communications by a vote of 142 to 103, over Hartford coadjutor Archbishop Christopher Coyne.

Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn defeated Bishop Earl Fernandes of Columbus by a vote of 126 to 116 to become the new chairman of the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church.

Bishop James Massa, auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, was elected as the chairman of the Committee on Doctrine in a 125 to 118 vote over Bishop John Doerfler of Marquette.

Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg of Reno was chosen to be the chairman-elect of the Committee on National Collections, defeating Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City by a vote of 146 to 97.

Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, was named as chairman-elect of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities in a 161 to 84 vote over Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco. The six will also take office as chairmen-elect for a year, and then they will start a three-year term, after the fall general assembly in 2024.