BALTIMORE — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has elected Bishop Robert P. Deeley, JCD, bishop of the Diocese of Portland, as chairman-elect of the USCCB’s Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance.

The election was held as part of this year’s USCCB Fall General Assembly on Nov. 15, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Deeley will serve one year as chairman-elect before beginning a three-year term at the conclusion of the 2017 USCCB Fall General Assembly.

The Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance assists bishops by interpreting particular law and providing direction in the ongoing implementation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law and the 1990 Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches. The committee also addresses issues from a canonical perspective related to the pastoral practices of the Church and provides a forum for the possible resolution of disputes that occasionally arise between or with regard to dioceses.

Deeley has a long record of dedication to the law of the Church in teaching, practice, administration and pastoral assistance. Last month he was named the recipient of the Role of Law Award, the Canon Law Society of America’s most prestigious honor. The award is given to an individual who has distinguished himself in the practice of canon law, serving God’s people through the use of this law of the Church.

Deeley earned both a Licentiate of Canon Law degree in 1983 and a Doctor of Canon Law degree summa cum laude in 1986 from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. In 1978, with his appointment as secretary to the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Boston, he began a ministry in the Tribunal that would last for over 20 years, including 11 years as judicial vicar (1989-99). From 2004-11, he served at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Vatican City, which promotes and safeguards the doctrine on the faith and morals within the Church throughout the world.

The bishop has also lectured on canon law and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at many schools, including the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy; the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts. He served as as a translation editor for “The Code of Canon Law: Latin-English Edition,” published in 1988.

In addition, Deeley assumed the presidency of the Canon Law Society of America from 2000-01 and has served as the society’s treasurer and on the board of governors.

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