Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life

This dialogue came two weeks before the United States Catholic bishops will decide on a major statement on the Eucharist and two days after Pope Francis and U.S. President Joe Biden met at the Vatican. The proposed United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) statement has generated division and controversy regarding its potential call for denial of communion to Catholic public officials who support policies which advance abortion. The bishops will also launch a major Eucharistic Revival for the Catholic Church in the United States. Beyond the bishops themselves, who should be heard in these discussions? Who has been left out? What are key elements of an effective Eucharistic Revival effort, and who can help contribute to its success? How does the meeting between Pope Francis and President Biden shape the context for this?

In July 2021, the Initiative hosted a civil and substantive dialogue on this topic with the bishop chairman in charge of drafting the statement, a cardinal who opposed the effort, and three lay people with varying views on the best way forward. This dialogue continued and broadened this discussion in advance of the bishops’ vote.

The dialogue began with an overview and context from a respected journalist who has covered the bishops’ discussions and who reported from the Vatican on the meeting between Pope Francis and President Biden. The conversation then considered how the people of God live out the Eucharist in our lives, including our public lives. This conversation included a Latina theologian who has written on eucharistic revival in a pandemic, a woman religious who leads a ministry to vulnerable women and children, and a Catholic leader who is African American and a respected advocate for human life and racial justice.