U.S. Catholic bishops set to meet in Mundelein for spiritual retreat

Catholic Bishops from across the United States will gather at the Mundelein Seminary early next year for seven days of prayer and unity, at the invitation of Pope Francis, church officials announced Tuesday.

The Jan. 2 - 8 retreat takes place as the U.S. bishops continue their work to address the clergy sex abuse crisis, officials said. In September, the U.S. bishops Administrative Committee announced an action plan including a third-party reporting mechanism, standards of conduct for bishops and protocols for bishops resigned or removed because of abuse.

"The Holy Father has kindly offered the preacher to the Papal Household, Reverend Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M. Cap., to serve as the retreat director as we come together to pray on the intense matters before us. For this, I am grateful," Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in an announcement of the event. "I am also grateful to Cardinal Blase Cupich for his kind offer to use the campus of Mundelein Seminary as the location for this retreat."