San Jose Bishop Patrick McGrath received a standing ovation following his opening remarks at the annual convention of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Bishop McGrath joked about the theological competence of his fellow bishops and quoted the words of a feminist theologian whose latest book has drawn fire from the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine.

The convention, held June 9-11 at the swank Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, drew more than 300 attendees from across the United States and around the world. Bishop McGrath welcomed the society to San Jose on the convention’s opening night.

“McGrath said all the right things, touched on all the right subjects, offering gratitude to people who have dedicated their lives to scholarship and the church,” said an account published in the National Catholic Reporter. “He noted that there was a time when all the best theologians were bishops – adding with a wink and to an approving audience, ‘but that was some time ago.'”