Pope Francis appoints Bishop George V. Murry to attend Vatican synod

YOUNGSTOWN — Pope Francis has appointed Bishop George V. Murry of the Diocese of Youngstown as one of the U.S. bishops to attend the Synod on the Family scheduled Oct. 4-24 at the Vatican in Rome.

The event will bring together bishops and lay delegates from around the world to discuss a variety of matters related to marriage and family across the globe.

Bishop Murry said, “The announcement that Pope Francis has appointed me to be a delegate to the Synod on the Family is an honor for the people of the Diocese of Youngstown. I am humbled to be asked to work with my brother bishops under the guidance of Pope Francis to promote the essential value of families in the contemporary society.”

Other U.S. bishops elected to the synod include Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville and Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the president and vice president respectively of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. Pope Francis also appointed Archbishop Blasé Cupich of Chicago and Archbishop William Skurla of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh to the U.S. group.