 Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Brown chaired the BCEIA Subcommittee on Interreligious Dialogue and was on the committee for Orthodox-Roman Catholic Bishop's Dialogue and the Pontifical Council on Interreligious Dialogue.He was also a chairman of the Laity Committee and the Committee on Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs.His resignation as bishop of Orange was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on September 21, 2012, in accordance with Canon 401 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law (all bishops must submit an offer of resignation to the Pope upon reaching their 75th birthday, which for Brown was in 2011).