WASHINGTON (AP) – The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops took a big step Tuesday to acknowledge and deal with one of the church’s nagging problems: the growing shortage of priests.

The bishops approved new rules and expectations for the American church’s 30,632 “lay ecclesial ministers,” many of whom are filling tasks that used to be exclusively assigned to clergy. In some parishes, for instance, they conduct weddings and baptisms.

The debate showed that a number of bishops worry that the term “minister” undercuts the status of priests. But it has come into common use for lay professionals who are certified and authorized by bishops. Addressing that issue, the final text emphasizes the gap in status between lay workers and the clergy.

Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., who chaired the drafting committee on lay ministers, told a news conference that the church has long had lay religious educators but what’s new is the laity handling pastoral and administrative work.

“That role has evolved because of the shortage of priests,” he said.

The bishops also elected Monsignor David Malloy, 49, a Milwaukee native and one-time Vatican diplomat, as general secretary to head their national staff until 2011.

He succeeds Monsignor William Fay of Boston, who told the bishops his years as general secretary were “an extraordinarily painful time in the life of the church,” referring to the priestly sex-abuse scandal.

In their final public session, the bishops also approved a statement reaffirming their opposition to the death penalty and heard from New Orleans Archbishop Alfred Hughes about the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.

Hughes told the bishops that half of his parishes “are devastated,” with 387 Catholic buildings flooded and 864 others seriously damaged.

He estimated that capital losses exceed $200 million, of which $85 million to $100 million won’t be covered by insurance.

On the other hand, most parochial students are being taught in reopened schools, often with double sessions, or in other dioceses, he said.

Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza of Houston, who chairs the hierarchy’s task force on hurricane response, said Catholics gave $108.4 million toward recovery in a special collection but “that is really just a drop in the bucket of what is needed, a drop in the bucket.”

Fiorenza said pending congressional legislation to aid schools must include the Catholic systems in Louisiana and Mississippi, and sharply criticized the response of FEMA officials after Katrina struck.

“It became clear to me there wasn’t going to be a whole lot of help coming from FEMA,” he said, and bishops in the affected region “felt they were getting the runaround.”

The number of active Catholic priests has dropped from 57,317 to 42,528 since 1985.

The church has 30,632 salaried lay ministers who work at least 20 hours a week, a 53 percent increase since 1990.

The priesthood shortage is also alleviated by the 15,027 men ordained as permanent deacons to assist priests.

Catholics who believe the celibacy rule worsens the shortage cannot expect change.

Last month’s international synod of bishops at the Vatican acknowledged “the serious lack of priests” in some regions but insisted that the celibacy tradition is an “inestimable gift” to Catholicism.

On Tuesday afternoon, the bishops began a day or two of closed-door executive sessions, provoking complaints from lay activists who champion open meetings.

Among the issues likely to be discussed behind closed doors are ongoing problems and programs in the wake of the priestly sex-abuse scandal.

This week’s conference has revealed deep divisions among bishops about a pending revision of the 1970 English Mass, which was translated after the Second Vatican Council had eliminated mandatory Latin worship.

In balloting here on proposed sample passages, 57 percent of the bishops preferred keeping the 1970 wording, while 43 percent favored new versions.

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On the Net:

U.S. bishops: http://www.usccb.org

AP-ES-11-15-05 1804EST