Groups of bishops visit with the pope every five years. This past Saturday a group of bishops from the United States visited Pope Benedict and he commended them for, among other things, their actions in support of marriage:

"I cannot fail to express my appreciation of the real progress which the American Bishops have made, individually and as a Conference, in responding to these issues and in working together to articulate a common pastoral vision, the fruits of which can be seen, for example, in your recent documents on faithful citizenship and on the institution of marriage. The importance of these authoritative expressions of your shared concern for the authenticity of the Church’s life and witness in your country should be evident to all." -- Zenit