Bishops' Leader Rooted in Pa.

The new president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, the head of the Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky., has strong ties to Pennsylvania.

Born Aug. 18, 1946, in Mahanoy City, northwest of Reading, he earned bachelor (1968) and master of divinity (1972) degrees from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia and a master's degree (1976) in social work from the Marywood School of Social Work in Scranton. He was ordained a priest March 18, 1972, for the Diocese of Allentown.

Kurtz worked for more than two decades

in Allentown, before becoming bishop of Knoxville, Tenn. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to lead Louisville, an archdiocese of 200,000,

in 2007.

Kurtz, who was elected with just over half the votes

Tuesday in a field of 10 candidates in Baltimore, succeeds

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who is ending a three-year term. The conference president is the main spokesman on national issues for the Catholic Church in the United States

and acts as a representative of the American church to the Vatican and the pope.

Kurtz takes on the role as the bishops are considering what direction they should take in the new pontificate. Pope Francis, elected in March, has said he wanted pastors, not ideologues, and an emphasis on mercy over divisive social issues.

At a news conference, Kurtz underscored the bishops' commitment "to serve the voiceless and vulnerable," including advocating for immigrants and the poor. He said they would continue to fight abortion and seek a broader religious exemption to a federal requirement that employers provide health insurance that covers artificial contraceptives. - APEndText