Councils and conferences in the United States, 1810-2001: Toward a theology of national episcopal conferences

This dissertation investigates the theological basis for regional episcopal conferences by examining the teachings of the Second Vatican Council concerning the college of bishops and the activity of the bishops of a grouping of regional Churches in light of the history of national collaboration among the bishops of the United States. After reviewing key conciliar and postconciliar documents, it explores how the relationships among the U.S. bishops, their relationship with the Catholics of the United States, and their relationship with the Holy See shaped their collaboration in the national Councils of Baltimore, the National Catholic Welfare Conference, and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference. It concludes that the theological basis for such national collaboration is rooted in the network of sacramentally ordered relationships that derive from the same episcopal ordination and hierarchical communion upon which membership in the college of bishops is based