RNS Weekly Digest: US Catholic bishops elect Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley as conference president

US Catholic bishops elect Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley as conference president

In their first conference election since the ascendance of an American pope, U.S. Catholic bishops have narrowly chosen Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, the ecclesiastical adviser for a powerful group of conservative Catholics, as their new president. Their vice president will be Brownsville, Texas, Bishop Daniel Flores, a border bishop and key voice on immigration. As the secretary of the USCCB since 2022 and the most senior member of leadership young enough to take the presidency, Coakley had been considered the favorite. Coakley, appointed archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010, is well known for his outspoken opposition to capital punishment, as well as abortion. His most recent pastoral letter opposed gender-affirming care and the “transgender movement.” He was formerly the chairman of Catholic Relief Services, the bishops’ international development organization. He was elected by the USCCB to represent them at Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality in addition to the U.S. bishops chosen by Francis.  Religion & Politics Bishops publicly lament Trump deportation policies after pope urges stronger voice United Methodists ratify plan to unify denomination while decentering US church Fear of deportation keeps Chicago Latino immigrants home from Mass Photos of the Week: World's largest Orthodox church, Dev Deepawali People wait to pray at the altar of the National Cathedral in Bucharest, Romania. The world's largest Orthodox church has a height of 410 feet and an interior capacity of 5,000 worshippers. Construction began in 2010, with costs currently amounting to a reported $313 million, while some work remains to be completed. (RNS photo/Alexandra Radu) In Opinion Mamdani set an example of how to campaign as a Muslim. He'll need to govern for all. How All Saints' Day brought me grief, then hope this year Tolkien, Lewis and the problem of 'Christian' art And finally, Sitting atop fridge to protest SNAP cuts, faith leader models Jesus' 'proximity' to the poor Terence Lester, wearing a black hoodie and a beanie, sat atop a tall, black curbside refrigerator in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia, on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in November in hopes of bringing attention to the 42 million Americans who rely on SNAP benefits. The empty fridge is symbolic of the deprivation and hunger of those impacted by the steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the United States’ largest food aid program. Lester, an ordained minister and founder of the nonprofit Love Beyond Walls, said the organization has received more than 1,000 calls in the past month requesting food assistance. As a person of faith, he sees politicians’ apathy toward impoverished communities as deeply unethical. “Most people who make decisions politically are not necessarily proximate to the community, and the distance between policy and community creates the stigma and the exclusionary practices that we see,” Lester told RNS in a video call from the top of the refrigerator. “No solution that we’ve ever created has come without us being proximate to people. That is at the core of how Jesus showed up.” Support our responsible reporting on religion Forward this newsletter to a friend Make a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit newsroom here Or mail us a check: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205 Email membership@religionnews.com with a news tip or a comment Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Copyright © 2025 RNS, All rights reserved.

RNS Morning Report - Bishops publicly lament Trump deportation policies after pope urges stronger voice

Top Stories Bishops publicly lament Trump deportation policies after pope urges stronger voice BALTIMORE (RNS) — On the heels of the pope’s admonitions, there was a great deal of anticipation for how the bishops would approach immigration at their November meeting, the first since Leo’s election. ‘I was not the right kind of Jew,’ says US Jewish teen deported from Israel (RNS) — Since its founding in 1948, Israel has welcomed American Jews and encouraged their immigration. Now certain Jews supporting Palestinians, like Leila Stillman-Utterman, are deported. US Catholic bishops elect Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley as conference president BALTIMORE (RNS) — As the secretary of the USCCB since 2022 and the most senior member of leadership young enough to take the presidency, Coakley had been considered the favorite. Fear of deportation keeps Chicago Latino immigrants home from Mass CHICAGO (RNS and NPR) — Some immigrants have made the emotionally fraught decision to give up church attendance. Opinion How All Saints’ Day brought me grief, then hope this year (RNS) — Just as the Christian faith is a story rooted in time, so, too, are our lives’ stories rooted in time. Mamdani set an example of how to campaign as a Muslim. He’ll need to govern for all. (RNS) — Beyond campaigning lies the difficult and often dirty business of governing, which may test some believers’ faith in New York’s first Muslim mayor. ICYMI UK journalist Sami Hamdi to be released from ICE detention (RNS) — Lawyers representing Hamdi challenged his detention in federal court, arguing that holding a journalist after an unexplained visa revocation raised First Amendment and due process concerns.  New Mormon apostle led a global temple building boom and has deep knowledge of church finances SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gérald Caussé, a high-ranking official in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who oversaw its finances and a global temple building boom, became the faith's newest apostle on Thursday. In Other News Tennessee Catholic bishops call for an end to the death penalty ‘God is an anti-vaxxer’: Inside the conference celebrating RFK Jr.’s rise Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

Copyright © 2025 RNS, All rights reserved.

WCC News: WCC executive committee to convene in China with “Christ, culture, and context”

The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee will convene in Hangzhou, China from 20-25 November, at the invitation of the China Christian Council.  World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation visited China on 23-28 May 2024 to engage with church and religious leaders at national and regional levels in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Beijing. Photo: China Christian Council 12 November 2025 The meeting will be a pilgrimage encounter with the people and churches in China exploring the theme of “Christ, culture, and context.”  The business agenda will include approval of 2026 plans and budgets, follow up on central committee outcomes from June 2025, and monitoring implementation of WCC strategies.  Each day, the executive committee will be hosted by a different parish for morning prayer and encounters with the church in China on different topics, including women in ministry, the further contextualization of Christianity, interfaith relations, parish ministry, and theological education. The governing body will delve into the history of Christianity in China. In 1950, Chinese Protestant Christians initiated the Three-Self Movement, and through the principles of self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation, Chinese Christians set out on an independent road to building the church. During the cultural revolution, from 1966 to 1976, churches were closed. Churches began to reopen in 1979, and in 1980 the China Christian Council was established as a post-denominational church. During the opening session, the Amity Foundation will launch a special Nicaea 1700th anniversary edition of the Bible. The meeting will take place at the West Lake State Guesthouse.  The WCC executive committee will also issue statements on public issues affecting the life and witness of the churches. “I am looking forward to learning more about the situation of the churches in China. Considering the decisive role China plays in moving towards an ecological transformation of the global economy, I expect important insights for the Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action we launched at our central committee meeting in Johannesburg,” said Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, moderator of the WCC central committee.  WCC general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay noted that China as a country has emerged as a great contributor to global economies, technology, politics, religion, and culture. “The idea and reality of a post- denominational church is a significant consideration for Christian unity,” he said. “We are looking forward to our executive committee meeting in Hangzhou to listen, learn, and journey together as pilgrims and co-pilgrims in justice, reconciliation, and unity with our fellow members and the people we encounter in China.” Many people on the WCC executive committee will be visiting China for the first time. “They are looking forward to a new and engaging encounter,” said Pillay. WCC Executive Committee meeting in Hangzhou, China See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland