BALTIMORE — The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops on Tuesday chose as leaders of the bishop’s conference two prelates whose pastoral approach evokes the new tone for the church set by Pope Francis.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., the new president of the conference, has a master’s degree in social work, took care of his brother with Down syndrome and said the “most important time” he has ever spent was the 12 years he served as pastor in a parish.

“One of the major challenges is what our Holy Father has said over and over again, how can we warm hearts and heal wounds?” Archbishop Kurtz said in an inaugural news conference.

He will succeed Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who finishes his three-year term on Thursday when the bishops’ meeting concludes. Cardinal Dolan, a garrulous evangelist comfortable in front of a camera, led the bishops in their high-profile confrontation with the Obama administration over a provision in the health care mandate that requires most employers to have insurance that covers contraceptives for employees.