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U.S. Catholic Bishops Elect Coakley President, Flores Vice President After Runoff

Bishops are weighing a rare public message on immigration under a leader known for pro-life advocacy.

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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

  • Archbishop Paul S. Coakley won the U.S. bishops’ presidency in Baltimore after multiple ballots, defeating Bishop Daniel Flores 128–109 in a runoff.
  • Flores was elected vice president in a separate vote, and the conference will hold an additional election to fill the secretary post Coakley vacated.
  • The result is widely read as continuity with the conference’s conservative priorities, including emphasis on abortion and religious liberty.
  • Coakley has backed, in principle, denying Communion to politicians who persist in supporting abortion rights and has voiced opposition to the death penalty.
  • He has criticized mass-deportation policies, and the assembly is considering issuing a rare Special Message on immigration focused on pastoral care for migrants.