In his first remarks as the newly elected U.S. bishops’ conference president, Archbishop Timothy Broglio said he would welcome the opportunity to meet with President Joe Biden and denied that his election is a sign of “dissonance” between Pope Francis and the U.S. bishops.

Newsroom (18/11/2022 2:15 PM, Gaudium Press) — Arch. Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, led each round of voting, but didn’t break the majority threshold of 119 votes until the third round, when he garnered 138 votes. Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore – who was elected conference vice president soon after – was second in the presidential vote with 99.

After the Nov. 15 public session, Broglio fielded questions from the media, including how he’ll operate in the political arena. The archbishop said he looks forward to possible conversations with U.S. political leaders, and that he wouldn’t miss “any chance to insert the gospel into all aspects of life in our country.”

That would include a conversation with Biden, a Catholic whose pro-abortion stance has made for a turbulent relationship between the Oval Office and USCCB in recent years. Broglio highlighted, however, that outgoing USCCB president Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles wasn’t afforded the opportunity.

“I know that there has been a great desire on the part of the outgoing presidency to meet with the president and that hasn’t been possible,” Broglio said. “If it’s possible in the future, I’ll certainly take advantage of that. If he wants to meet with me I’d be happy to meet with him.”

Arch. Broglio was also asked about his time as Cardinal Angelo Sodano’s secretary from 1990-2001, and how that experience forms the way he views issues of clerical sexual abuse in the church. Card. Sodano, who died earlier this year, was the Vatican Secretary of State under Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI who repeatedly defended and covered for then-Father Marcial Maciel Degollado, the founder of the Legion of Christ who a Vatican investigation found committed a wide range of sexual abuse and other forms of misconduct.

Broglio answered that “hindsight is always 20/20,” noting that he had left working in Sodano’s office by the time the accusations against Maciel came out. He said those circumstances are always “a good reminder that we have to be attentive and that we have to be proactive.”

This year is the 20th anniversary of the Dallas Charter, and the body of bishops ended the first day of their week-long general assembly with a prayer and reflection on the document.

In other comments Broglio said he’s “not aware” that his election indicates “dissonance” with Pope Francis as some people have suggested, saying that he’s “certainly in communion with Pope Francis as part of the universal church” and that the two are “brother bishops.”

As for his approach to the presidency, Broglio said he intends to continue the work of Gomez, which includes fostering unity among the U.S. bishops after a challenging few years.

– Raju Hasmukh with files from Crux Now