Thanks be to God!

Father, thank you for hearing our prayer through Jesus Christ!

For the first time in the history of the US bishops, a vice-president standing for the presidency has been denied the top post, losing a stunning election to the archbishop of New York.

By a 128-111 vote, Archbishop Timothy Dolan bested Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson on the third ballot at this morning's elections in Baltimore.

Overturning a half-century of tradition for the bench, the result represents a seismic shift for the leadership of the nation's largest religious body, and a mandate for a continuance of the outspoken, high-profile leadership shown by Cardinal Francis George over his game-changing tenure at the conference's helm.

Between this and the fact that last year there were six swiftly-dealt-with cases of abuse in the US, I think we are finally coming out of the woods. Two thumbs up for the growth of episcopal spine!