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Paul Coakley Elected to Lead U.S. Catholic Bishops With Daniel Flores as Vice President

The result signals continuity on conservative priorities, with immigration emerging as the key pastoral test.

FILE - Clergy attend the Fall General Assembly meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Nov. 17, 2021, in Baltimore.(AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Parishioners pray during a Sunday Mass at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart Catholic church in Washington, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - MARCH 13: A woman holds rosary beads while she prays and waits for smoke to emanate from the chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel which will indicate whether or not the College of Cardinals have elected a new Pope on March 13, 2013 in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Benedict XVI's successor is being chosen by the College of Cardinals in Conclave in the Sistine Chapel. The 115 cardinal-electors, meeting in strict secrecy, will need to reach a two-thirds-plus-one vote majority to elect the 266th Pontiff. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Bishops chose Archbishop Paul Coakley as USCCB president after three rounds that ended in a 128–109 runoff over Bishop Daniel Flores, who was then elected vice president in a separate ballot.
  • Coakley, 70, previously served as the conference’s secretary and has been known for pro-life advocacy and opposition to gender ideology, alongside public concern about harsh immigration enforcement.
  • Flores, 64, leads the Diocese of Brownsville on the U.S.–Mexico border and has been a key figure in the Vatican’s synod process, reflecting Latino growth within the U.S. Church.
  • The meeting in Baltimore is set to take up immigration, with reports of reduced parish attendance due to enforcement fears and the shuttering of the bishops’ refugee resettlement program after federal funding was halted.
  • Coakley’s three-year term begins at the plenary’s adjournment, and bishops will fill the now-vacant USCCB secretary post on Wednesday.