Washington D.C., Apr 19, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) expressed their great joy at the election of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.
“We send him our congratulations and our prayers as he begins his ministry as bishop of Rome and the universal pastor of the Catholic Church,” said USCCB president Bishop William Skylstad in a statement.
“As a theologian, a bishop, and as the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the new Pope has the kind of experience in Church leadership which commended him to his fellow cardinals as a worthy successor to St. Peter and as Christ’s Vicar here on earth,” he said.
Bishop Skylstad stated that Pope Benedict XVI is familiar with the Church in the U.S.