'What parts of the world are we stopping covering?': Former leaders alarmed by USCCB layoffs ask

ALEJA HERTZLER-MCCAIN of Religion News Service reports on the aftermath of mass layoffs at a department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops…

UNITED STATES
RNS

Following massive layoffs at a department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, concerns are growing about the ability of the department, which works on domestic and international relief and justice initiatives, to continue its work.

The layoffs and restructuring, announced internally June 24 at the USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, renamed the Justice and Peace Secretariat as part of the restructuring, included the elimination of seven positions out of 23, according to the conference’s own count in a June 28 memo to bishops. A USCCB spokesperson did not respond to Religion News Service’s questions about the additional positions eliminated through retirements or resignations, as some have argued that this is an undercount.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops holds its 2024 Spring Plenary Meeting in Louisville, Kemtucky, USA. PHOTO: Screenshot from video.

Bishops who previously chaired the conference’s committee on international justice and peace are sounding the alarm about how budget cuts could limit the department’s work, particularly with its global partners.

Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California, who chaired the International Justice and Peace Committee from 2014 to 2017, expressed concern about the positions being eliminated in an email to RNS.

Gerard Powers, founder of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. PHOTO: Courtesy of the Kroc Institute

“Whatever the reason for the budget cuts, the bishops have much less capacity to stand in solidarity with a Church that is at the forefront of work for justice and peace, from Congo and Colombia to Ukraine and the Holy Land.”

– Gerard Powers, who was previously director of the Office of International Justice and Peace

“I believe it would be quite difficult for two people to do the work of this office,” Cantú wrote, noting that the office previously had four experts, each covering either the Middle East, Africa, Latin America or Asia, as well as an administrative assistant.

The bishop said the cuts posed a difficult question: “What parts of the world are we ceasing to cover?”

Gerard Powers, who previously served as director of the Office of International Justice and Peace, noted in an email to RNS that the most recent cuts are part of a significant shift over the past two decades.

“In 2004, my last year as director of the Office of International Justice and Peace, the office had 8.5 employees; today it has 2,” Powers wrote.

“Whatever the reason for the budget cuts, bishops have much less ability to stand in solidarity with a church that is at the forefront of justice and peace work from Congo and Colombia to Ukraine and the Holy Land,” Powers wrote. Conference leaders cited financial reasons for the decision, but several former leaders questioned that financial logic.

Because of this reduced capacity, Powers, who is now coordinator of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network and director of Catholic Peacebuilding Studies at the University of Notre Dame, wrote, “The broader Catholic community in the United States must find new ways to continue to meet the world’s most urgent needs, as it has done so effectively for so long.”

“The International Justice and Peace Office has been a vital part of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN) since its founding in 2004, and we hope and expect that to continue,” Powers wrote.

Bishop Richard E Pates greets a group of nuns after celebrating Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the first afternoon of the visit. PHOTO: Jen Hardy/Catholic Relief Services

Retired Des Moines, Iowa, Bishop Richard Pates, who chaired the International Justice and Peace Committee immediately before Cantú, starting in 2011, told RNS that the downsizing of the office is a “radical departure from the priorities of the past,” affecting the office’s ability to build relationships and respond to crises.

“An organization’s budget reflects its priorities,” said Pates, who served on the International Committee for Justice and Peace for nine years in addition to several other committee assignments.

Pates said the revised budget appears to represent “somewhat of a retreat” from Pope Francis’ leadership and commitment “to relationships and ministry dedicated to justice and peace and truly being a missionary church,” noting that Francis had encouraged the church to move toward “dialogue” and to be “less self-referential” shortly before his election as pope.

The bishop also criticized the decision-making process that led to the dismissals. “The path chosen was not transparent – nor in the spirit of synodality – to reach a consensus that would include the process of respectfully listening to all members of the conference,” he said.

These are conversations that could have taken place at bishops’ conference meetings earlier in June, just two weeks before the layoffs and restructuring, Pates said.

“Given that the USCCB was in general session in Louisville, there would have been ample time to consider necessary budget changes and to present alternative options for discussion to maintain a balanced budget,” Pates said.

During the meetings, the future of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, another initiative that was housed in the same department as the International Justice and Peace office, was discussed in executive session, closed to the public.

Several bishops expressed shock at the news of the layoffs within the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and the rest of the department, given that the CCHD had received strong support at meetings.

“From my personal experience and based on conversations with my brother bishops, it is important that a full dialogue be conducted within the broader framework of budgetary considerations in a spirit of transparency, synodality and mission ad omnes,” Pates said.

Archbishop John C Wester, head of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, speaks to reporters on November 29, 2018, in Santa Fe.

In an unusually sharp public criticism of the leadership of the Santa Fe, New Mexico, conference, Archbishop John Wester published an opinion piece in the Jesuit magazine Americawriting: “Unfortunately, with all due respect to the leadership, I believe the USCCB is quietly taking extraordinary steps that restrict our sacred social mission,” the archbishop wrote, citing Luke 4 and Matthew 25.

Wester has played a leading role in advocating for nuclear disarmament given that his archdiocese is home to the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the United States and two of the three nuclear weapons research facilities in the United States, as well as in vigorously advocating for peace priorities in the federal budget and in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“After the bishops’ strong support for our social mission two weeks ago, how could this happen?” Wester asked. “After 26 years as a bishop, I am appalled that the USCCB would undermine a vital function without a process that involved consultation and transparency,” he wrote.

In his op-ed, Wester clarifies that he is not writing “to attack anyone, but to assure Catholics that there are many bishops who are pushing for strong work for justice and peace within the conference.”

Pates expressed hope that the issue would be addressed at the bishops’ conference meetings in November.

“In my experience in the conference, the annual budget requires approval by all bishops in session, so I would expect that when we discuss budget concerns, this issue would be addressed,” Pates said.