<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;" align="center">The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has selected the conservative Archbishop Joseph Naumann as the new chairman of the committee on Pro-Life Activities versus Pope Francis&rsquo; more liberal pick.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This decision has now inspired speculation that the Catholic leaders are showing resistance to Pope Francis&rsquo; agenda.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The close ally of the pope and liberal, ;Blase Cupich, was defended by Naumann in a 96 to 82 vote.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">&ldquo;The cardinal is a clear favorite of Pope Francis, who appointed him archbishop of Chicago in 2014, then named him to the Vatican&rsquo;s Congregation of Bishops, which helps shape the next generation of the hierarchy. The pope elevated him to the rank of cardinal last year,&rdquo; writes the ;<em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wall Street Journal.</em><span style="color: #222222;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">Both Cupich and Naumann do share some similar values and are both opposed to abortion and euthanasia, however Cupich wanted the Pro-Life Committee to expand its focus from both of these issues.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">&ldquo;Cardinal Cupich, meanwhile, indicated that he would have broadened the committee&rsquo;s focus to include other issues like the death penalty, healthcare and poverty&mdash;a list more in line with the priorities of Pope Francis,&rdquo; writes the ;<em>Wall Street Journal.</em></span><span style="color: #222222;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">With the decision to elect Naumann, Catholic bishops may be sending a message to the Pope.</span></p>
<p>&ldquo;It is clear since 2013 that a majority of them (the bishops) sees the message of Francis&rsquo; pontificate, esp. on life and marriage, as not adequate for the Catholic Church in the U.S.A.,&rdquo; ;tweeted ;Massimo Faggioli, a theologian at Villanova.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">Also, usually a cardinal is elected to the position.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">&ldquo;The Pro-Life Activities Committee has always been led by a cardinal, a way the bishops have signaled the priority they assign to that committee. The current chair is Cardinal Timothy Dolan who, like Naumann, is a proté;gé; of Cardinal Justin Rigali. Some of us who have been watching the bishops for a long time from the bleachers on the left have a saying about Rigali&#8217;s career: &lsquo;He has ruined everything he ever touched,&rsquo;&rdquo; writes the ;<em>National Catholic Reporter.</em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">&ldquo;This is obviously a break with tradition, in that it&rsquo;s going to someone who&rsquo;s not a cardinal,&rdquo; said Stephen ;Schneck, a former director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America to the ;<em>Wall Street Journal</em>. &ldquo;But I think it&rsquo;s a very accurate picture of where the U.S. episcopacy is in relation to the efforts we see coming from Pope Francis and Rome.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor that the bishops chose me,&rdquo; said Archbishop Naumann after the vote. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been fortunate in my priesthood to work in the pro-life areas. I hope I can draw on that experience.&rdquo;</span><span style="color: #222222;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">Naumann has been especially outspoken about his disapproval for the pro-choice movement and has demonstrated this with some controversial actions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">&ldquo;In 2008, Naumann told Gov. Kathleen Sebelius that she should not present herself for Communion because of her pro-choice position. This interpretation of Canon 915 was first advanced by Cardinal Raymond Burke but it was never the position adopted by most bishops who thought it a mistake to politicize the Communion rail. Naumann also ordered his parishes to cease hosting Girl Scout troops over concerns they were somehow involved with Planned Parenthood. He is not exactly a poster child for the culture of encounter,&rdquo; writes the</span><span style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; font-family: Times; color: #414042;"> ;</span></span><em><span style="color: #222222;">National Catholic Reporter.</span></em><span style="font-family: Times; color: #333333;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">Naumann&rsquo;s election is good news for Conservative Republicans.</span><span style="color: #222222;"> ;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222;">&ldquo;The Catholic bishops&rsquo; emphasis on abortion as the overriding social issue will serve to keep conservative-leaning Catholics aligned with the Republican Party&mdash;and by extension the Trump administration,&rdquo; said Patti Miller, author of &ldquo;Good Catholics: The Battle Over Abortion in the Catholic Church.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="color: #222222;">Author&rsquo;s note:</span></strong><span style="color: #222222;"> It&rsquo;s hard to really tell if Catholic leaders are sending a message or not, but a numerous of big publications have reported that this was somewhat of a move in defiance of the pope. It was a pretty close vote too.</span></p>