Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City has been elected as the next president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on November 11. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, who came second in the secret ballot, was chosen as the vice president. The election was held during the Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland. The new leaders were elected from among 10 candidates nominated by their fellow bishops.
In a statement posted on X, Archbishop Paul Coakley wrote that he was “humbled by the trust” which his brother bishops placed in him and that he was accepting the “burden of leadership in faith and with great hope.”
Archbishop Coakley will succeed the former president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, to serve for a three-year term. The 70-year-old archbishop was consecrated a bishop in 2004 and has been serving the Oklahoma City Archdiocese since 2011. He is an ardent promoter of a culture of life and strongly opposes gender ideology.
The newly elected Vice President Daniel Flores is a former president of the USCCB Committee on Doctrine. 64-year-old Flores holds a doctorate in sacred theology and is a former theology professor.